The Shadows Of Time
by ShindaSekai
Summary: Link had to understand that fate wasn't ONLY making things easier for him when a certain guide appeared in his life. Based on the OOT plot, with many alterations. Sheik is his own character and he's male. LinkxSheik
1. Chapter 1 Visions

**Author's note: I decided to split the chapters to make it easier to read. A few chapters have turned out rather short, others are longer. I know, Sheik is supposed to be Zelda in the game, but he's not in my story. **

**Please, if you don't support this theory and this pairing, just don't read.**

**Enjoy (:**

_Prologue_

_Once upon a time, long before this land existed, there were three deities residing in heaven. These were the golden goddesses. One day, Din, the goddess of power, created the red earth and cultivated the land with her flaming arms. Farore, the goddess of courage, gave life to all the living inhabitants of the world with her rich soul and last but not least, there was Nayru and she poured her wisdom onto the earth, blessing the world with the spirit of law. Once their work was done, they ascended to heaven and departed into the golden land, leaving behind a sacred relic which connected the three powers. _

_This relic is said to grant wishes to anyone who touches it, but due to its great power, it had been sealed away in the sacred realm to be safe and out of people's reach._

_However, humans had always been a weak race and many men tried to invade the sacred realm forcefully. Many faced a painful death as their bodies burned down to nothing more than black ashes and those who eventually succeeded in saving their lives were known to have become mentally deranged. Long time, no man ever dared to come close to the sacred realm again and people started to be content with what they had._

_Until, in the area of the haunted wastelands, a boy was born. A boy who was about to change the course of life in Hyrule._

_Born as the only man of the Gerudo tribe after a hundred years, Ganondorf was already destined to become king. And as time passed by, he grew up to be a powerful and strong thief and his hate towards the royal family, who had condemned his tribe to live in the harsh conditions of the desert, sprouted day by day._

_And Ganondorf, driven by the lust for power and the desire to become king of Hyrule, had started to plan the downfall of the royal family. Little by little, he manipulated the people and gained the trust of the king. And when finally the day had come, he entered the sacred realm and reached out for the sacred Triforce. _

_However, what he had not known, was that the Triforce would shatter into three pieces as soon as his hands would touch it and when it happened, he had not even been able to voice his wish._

_But the world should not be what it was before..._

**Chapter 1 Visions**

With a gasp she opened her eyes forcefully, blinking away the strong light that had flooded her vision before. The noises from her dream had vanished and the silence of the small room seemed almost unnatural. The only thing her ears could hear was the beating of her own heart in her chest as it was slowly calming down to a steady rhythm. She touched her forehead and wiped away the sheen of sweat that covered her skin. Her naked feet touched the cold floor as she put them to the ground and she walked over to the only window of her small room. Dark clouds were hanging over Hyrule and she knew, they would not vanish until Ganondorf was beaten. She pinched the bridge of her nose as memories started to flood her vision once again, as if a single gesture like that could make them go away. How could her father have been so naive as to believe and trust in a thief from the desert? They had bitterly paid for his mistake.

A knock on the door distracted her thoughts. She lifted her head when Impa came into the room.

"He's here."


	2. Chapter 2 Awakening

**Chapter 2 Awakening**

The young Sheikah was waiting impatiently in the hall of the temple, his eyes glued to the door behind which Impa had disappeared. He stood motionless when she came back, followed by a smaller, seemingly fragile beauty. He politely knelt down but the princess ordered him to get back on his feet immediately.

Despite her young age, she seemed very grown-up and determined and Sheik wondered where she took her strength from.

"You know why I called you, Sheik. The time has come; the hero has awakened. I want you to be his guidance through the harsh time he will have to face. You have to teach him everything he needs to know but do not speak a word of what needs to be untold, no matter how many times he will ask for it. Do you understand me?"

The young man nodded and the princess' face became softer when she continued.

"I know I'm expecting a lot of you...of both of you, but it is absolutely necessary that he awakens the sages. I know I can only trust you..."

Her sparkling blue eyes met the Sheikah's red ones and she knew she didn't need to carry on for he had understood quite well what she was expecting of him.

He silently bowed to her once again and turned on his heels to leave the secret refuge, where Impa had brought the princess in order to hide her from Ganondorf. It was a sacred temple in the mountains and Sheik slightly shivered when he stepped out into the snow. The sky was cloudless and the air absolutely clear; there was not a single sign of Ganondorf's destructive aura in this area.

He slowly started walking down the winding and uneven path and pulled the cloth, that covered his nose and mouth, tighter when the icy wind hit him in the face. His hands were already red from the cold and his feet struggled to keep the balance on the slippery surface. The way up to the temple had been a hard one but the way down was even more dangerous. It took him more than an hour to get out of the inaccessible area and he slightly cursed himself for overestimating himself. If he didn't make it in time to the sacred cathedral he'd miss the hero and this was something he needed to avoid at any cost.

He sped up and eventually managed to reach the holy temple just in time to hear voices when he walked through the door that separated the main hall from the pedestal of time. They didn't come from inside the building, they rather seemed to linger in the air like the monotonous chant of praying monks. Hiding in the shadows, he waited.

The ceiling suddenly opened as Rauru, the sage of light, sent the hero, he had kept in the sacred chamber for seven years, back to Hyrule. A glistening beam of blue light elucidated the room for a second causing the Sheikah to cover his eyes with the back of his hand until his vision had cleared again. And there he stood, the hero who was supposed to fight against evil and save Hyrule. A mere boy in green clothes with a fairy and a somewhat helpless expression on his face. As the Sheikah stepped forward, an almost inaudible movement, the hero suddenly stopped and, pulling out the sword of its sheath, turned to face him. "Who are you?" he hissed.

"I've been waiting for you, hero of time. My name is Sheik, I am one of the last survivors of my folk, the Sheikah. As I see you standing there with the legendary Master Sword in your hand, you do recall an image of a hero." Suppressing the mocking tone in his voice, he added: "If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must awaken the five sages in order to restore peace to Hyrule. You are the Chosen One, Link."

There was a moment of tension before Link put back his sword and his facial features softened.

"How do I awaken them?" he finally asked.

"One in a deep forest. One on a high mountain. One under a vast lake. One within the house of the dead. And one inside a goddess of the sand. The first sage is waiting for you in the forest temple. It is a girl I am sure you know. Link, meet me at the sacred forest meadow in the depths of the lost woods. I believe you have already been there."

Leaving the hero no time for questions, he threw a deku nut onto the floor and disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3 Lost Childhood

**Chapter 3 Lost Childhood **

Link still stood on the same spot, dazzled from the light of the deku nut and puzzled about the turn his life had to face now. Had he really been sleeping for seven years? He looked at his adult body once more and shook his head. The last thing he could remember was opening the door of time and pulling out the master sword and the next moment he was being told that seven years had passed, Hyrule had fallen into the hands of Ganondorf and he had to save the world. This just seemed so unrealistic that it made him want to laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"We should get going, Link."

He tilted his head to the side and glanced at his fairy who sat down on his shoulder.

"You're right Navi...I guess it can't be helped."

When he left the cathedral, the lively market place he had known so well had become a desolate, dark location which reflected the destructive power that had transformed a land once so fruitful into a territory of evil and despair. The place was completely deserted and only a hostile wind blew through every slot of the derelict houses. It was only as he passed by a dark building that a blood-curdling howl cut through the silent air.

"Link, watch out!"

Hearing Navi's warning, he immediately reached out for his sword but it was too late; the scream of the redead had paralysed his body and he could only watch as the zombie approached him with slow, shuffling steps. He couldn't take his eyes off the disfigured creature that once had been nothing else than a human like himself. It inexorably moved closer to the still paralysed hero and he started to panic. Should he already fail before he had even started?

A white ball of light suddenly flew past his ear and right into the face of the redead, buzzing around its head and distracting it from its prey. "Hurry Link, their scream can only paralyse you for a few minutes!"

Navi's voice snapped him out of his rigour and he finally managed to get free. And then he ran, ran until he had reached the broken drawbridge that once protected the royal castle from intruders at night and until he could no longer hear the deadly howls of those horrible creatures. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as his feet touched the grass he was standing on.

Link sighed audibly when he reached the Kokiri forest. He had expected the worst; destroyed houses and dead bodies but from what he had seen so far, evil did not seem to have come as far as the forest. Maybe Ganondorf's power was not as strong as everyone feared or maybe he just wasn't interested in the Kokiri. A warm feeling rose in his stomach when he discovered that his house was still there and while he was climbing up the ladder and walking inside, he almost felt like being home. His small room was unchanged and he sat down on his tiny bed. If he could just stay here and forget about the world outside but...no, he had to go look for Saria. He immediately got up again and left his house, heading for the lost woods. It felt like yesterday when he last walked through these woods and he let Saria's melody lead him the way. When he finally arrived at the sacred meadow, it was empty. He felt his heart drop a little. What had he been expecting? That Saria would still be sitting here waiting for him?

"You're late."

He turned around and stared at the mysterious young man who stood before him. He had not heard him coming nor did he sense his presence before.

"The flow of time is always cruel. It's speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days."

He paused a moment before he continued.

"As you may have noticed, the Kokiri do not recognize you anymore now that you're an adult but there's someone who's waiting for you inside this temple. Evil has transformed this once sacred temple into a dangerous place. You have to save Saria and awaken her as one of the sages. Prove that you truly are the hero Hyrule has been waiting for. We will meet again."

"Wait, how do I..." "Damn! Screw you!" Link cursed when he noticed that the Sheikah had once again disappeared into nowhere and left him with even more questions.

He had to find out by himself.


	4. Chapter 4 Bonds

**Author's Note: I just wanted to add that there are no sexual implications in this chapter between Sheik and Zelda**

**Chapter 4 Bonds**

The darkness of the night rapidly replaced the blue sky over Hyrule and only the pale moon slowly rising behind the trees shed some light on the white landscape. The absolute silence only got interrupted by a rustling of a tree branch or the shooing into darkness of small animals every now and then. Soon, heavy clouds covered the moon and thick snowflakes fell softly down onto the earth like white feathers.

The snow crunched under the Sheikah's feet as he walked through the peaceful landscape and he tightened the woollen cloak around his slender body. Soon, his figure was covered in white and as he ducked away into the shelter of darkness he seemed to merge with his surrounding.

He had heard her call for him as he left the sacred meadow even though it was not an audible sound. It was more like a feeling inside; a thought that crossed his mind. At times he could feel her emotions or even read her thoughts. She had blessed him with her wisdom but he wondered if she had known that it would enable him to see what she felt inside. The moment she had held his face in her hands he had read her thoughts, her deepest feelings and he had tried to shake them off but the bonds they shared that night were deep. It had been an act of necessity, not of trust and when she finally let him go, they both had gasped for air.

When he finally reached the entrance of the temple it was already midnight and he carefully slipped inside. To his surprise he was already awaited by the princess and she led him through the corridor inside her small room.

"I have been waiting for you, Sheik."

"Do you think you made the right choice? I don't think he is ready for this."

"He is the only one who can save Hyrule, Sheik. I've seen him in my dreams. He has more to offer than meets the eye."

"He is nothing more than a boy caught in the body of an adult. I wonder if he'll even manage to survive the evil in the forest temple."

"He is the holder of the Triforce fragment of courage."

"Being courageous is not always wise."

"Sheik, please..."

"I've seen him in the cathedral and in the woods. He doesn't even know what he needs to do. He's not a warrior."

"Do you want to question my decision, Sheik?"

Her voice sounded harsh now and she wouldn't accept another answer than what she wanted to hear.

"No, of course not, your Highness. Please forgive me."

For a moment, an awkward silence settled between the two until she finally spoke again.

"You may leave now, Sheikah."

He had felt her anger not only through her words but there was something else that troubled her mind. Was it doubt? The fear that she had made a mistake? He sensed her concern for the young hero and sighed. Why could they not see that they were throwing him in at the deep end? He, Sheik, was a warrior, he had spent his whole life training his body and his fighting skills. He was fast, invisible and strong. And yet he wasn't dignified to fulfil this task. He would stay what he had always been: a mere shadow.


	5. Chapter 5 Haunting paintings

**Chapter 5 Haunting paintings**

The temple turned out to be a labyrinth of doors, corridors and twisted rooms laced with the seeds of evil behind every corner. Link had been running through the temple for two hours and it didn't seem to end. His strength was slowly wearing out and he had not even been close to finding the source of what had transformed this temple into a dangerous place.

"Navi, we have examined every chamber of this stupid temple! There's nothing!"

The fairy buzzed off into another direction and after flying around the main entrance hall for the third time, she returned and sat down on Link's shoulder.

"There has to be." She crossed her arms and tilted her head backwards.

"..Link, listen! There are voices underneath us."

The young Hylian slowly got back on his feet and approached the middle of the room. Indeed, he could hear voices and they seemed to come from beneath the floor he was standing on. Which led him to the conclusion that he had underestimated the size of the temple.

"Link, they're coming here! Quickly, hide somewhere!"

Startled by the sudden warning, Link ran across the room and hid behind a box, just in time to see that the ornamented tile in the middle of the room started moving and soon transformed into a kind of elevator. He ducked his head a little deeper when two men, clad in black capes, emerged from the elevator and walked towards the main door. Soon they were gone.

"I think they did something to Saria," the fairy whispered anxiously and Link grabbed his sword tighter. "...then we have no more time to lose."

The elevator brought both of them one level below and through another corridor.

"I can feel that there's an accumulation of evil spirits behind this door. I think we found the source..." Navi buzzed nervously up and down as Link's hand touched the doorknob and pushed it open. The room behind the door was dark and decorated with paintings which all showed the same scene: a path that led into a dark forest. Link could feel the tension of the evil energy like a prickle on his skin and the small hair on his arms bristled. As he approached the paintings, he heard a deep voice behind him.

"You made it until here, fairy boy. I'm almost impressed."

The red haired Gerudo king grinned and eyeballed his opponent disparagingly.

"Where's Saria?" Link asked, gnashing this teeth in anger.

Ganondorf let out a sneering laughter. "The girl? She's right behind you. Enough talk, show me what you're made of!"

And with that said, he spurred his demon horse and disappeared into one of the paintings.

Instinctively, Link started running and followed him. The painting made a rustling sound as it swallowed both of them and Link fell down on the leaf-covered ground. And then he saw a small figure lying motionlessly not far from where he was standing.

Navi had discovered her too. "Link, it's Saria!"

He jumped to his feet and knelt down beside her form. Though not moving, she was still breathing and it seemed that she had only been knocked out.

A ball of magic struck the bush next to him and it went down in flames.

"Do you want to fight or not? If you beat me, she'll be free."

Ganondorf was strong and resistant against Link's attacks. With every magic ball that hit him, he felt jolts of pain striking his body, slowly numbing his right arm, which held the shield tightly to protect him, but his opponent's attacks knocked him over again and again until he realised that his right arm had become useless. His body was becoming more and more exhausted and he wasn't sure how long he would be able to withstand Ganondorf's attacks. When another bundle of magic hurtled towards him he instinctively lifted his left arm which held the master sword. The magic ball rebounded and went off into another direction where it hit a tree and left a deep hole in the trunk.

"This is it, Link! Use your sword to fight back his magic!" Navi shouted excitedly.

Link got up to his feet and hit back and he fought until he felt his limbs going completely numb. With a final blow, he piled the blade of his swords into the body beneath him.

When the thief from the desert fell, the forest began to go up in flames. Collecting what little strength he had left, the blond ran off to pick up Saria's small body and jumped out of the painting back into the temple. The pictures had vanished, burned down to ashes and Ganondorf was gone.


	6. Chapter 6 The chamber of the sages

**Chapter 6 The chamber of the sages**

When the hero finally opened his eyes again, he had to blink a few times to adjust to the unusual light that surrounded him like a protective barrier, soothing his physical pain. He let out a soft moan when he moved his body into a sitting position.

There was no doubt about his location; he was inside the sacred realm. He had no idea how he got there and what happened after he jumped out of the painting in the forest temple for his vision had become blurry and soon he had fallen into a seemingly deep sleep.

"I carried you here," a voice stated as if reading Link's mind.

Startled, the young hero turned around and faced a pair of stern red eyes watching him closely. The Sheikah was a few meters away from him, arms crossed in front of his chest. He had been waiting patiently for Link to recover and wake up, as he would always do. Sit, watch and wait.

"What happened?" Link asked sheepishly.

"What you defeated was merely a creature Ganondorf created. It will take much more to beat the real one as you may have guessed." He got up in a graceful movement and slowly approached the boy in green. "You passed out after you saved Saria. I brought you here. You cleansed the temple of Ganondorf's curse. Because of this, the sprout of the great Deku Tree can now grow and protect the Kokiri. You did better than I expected, hero."

Although his words admitted a certain amount of surprise or even admiration, his voice was still unchanging; stern and unemotional.

Link felt a slight shiver running down his spine as the coldness of the Sheikah lingered between them. Could he really be sure that Sheik was on his side? If he was his enemy, he wouldn't be eager to fight him. But then again, if what Impa had told him about the Sheikah seven years ago was true, then he had nothing to doubt. The Sheikah were loyal to the royal family. Besides, if he didn't have a pure heart, he would have never been able to enter the sacred realm.

"Saria awoke as one of the sages. Although she wanted to talk to you, she wasn't able to wait until you woke up. You have to move on now. You do not have more time to waste here. Go to the fire temple, free the Gorons and defeat the dragon. The next sage is someone you have met before. There's someone who's counting on you, hero."

They both left the realm and Link watched how the passage closed behind them, leaving nothing more than a thin ray of blue light. He tilted his head backwards and closed his eyes for a second. He knew what he had to do. He knew that the Gorons needed his help. And he knew that everyone had expectations in him but did they know that he too was afraid? Did they know that beneath his courage there was also fear and doubt? The silence inside the temple of time closed in on him and allowed him to clear his head and breathe for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't surprised to find out that he was alone. Taking another deep breath, he stepped out of the cathedral.


	7. Chapter 7 Volvagia

**Chapter 7 Volvagia**

The fire temple was vast and the further he fought his way through it, the more hidden rooms the hero revealed. The heat inside was even worse than when he entered Death Mountain for the first time and made it hard to breathe, even though he had received a tunic made of heat-resistant fabric. The temple hadn't been built for humans, Link had understood that from the first moment he had climbed down the ladder into this burning hell. Even for his fairy the ardour was almost unbearable and she hid under his tunic most of the time. Link's concern for the Gorons had grown when he saw Darunia disappearing into the room where the dragon was kept. He knew he had to free the other Gorons before he could save his old friend but it worried him. He had helped him before and he would do it again, even if it meant going straight into hell.

He didn't even make it to the room. A sudden eruption made the whole temple tremble and shake violently, causing the lava to bubble out of the holes in the ground. Link was barely fast enough to pull away his foot before the hot fluid could spill all over his boots.

"What was this?" The fairy popped out her head from under his tunic and he could feel her tiny body shake against his chest.

He stood still and waited for anything to happen or for another sound but it had become quiet again.

"Whatever it was, it seems to have gone," he stated bluntly but before he could make another step forward, the wall to his left crashed down and the head of a fiery beast appeared through the hole. It was obviously enraged and spit beams of fire in every direction. Link hastily saved himself on a rock and out of reach of the dangerous squirts. His heart was hammering in his chest as he watched the dragon crawl inside the large hall and he pulled out his sword while holding up the shield in front of his body. The dragon was much larger than he had expected and the giant body reminded him of a snake with two claws at the front. The icy blue eyes in the skull-like head fixated him dangerously and when it shook its giant head, the fire mane fluttered in the air.

The hero swiftly looked around for refuge or better circumstances for a fight but it seemed useless; the hall was neither broad nor did it build a good base for a fight. However, it wasn't very high either which disabled the dragon to fly. It could only crawl which made it an easier target for attacks.

Link still stood frozen on his spot when the beast made a swift move forward and almost hit him with its fiery breath. He eventually managed to get away by rolling himself off the rock he was standing on and landed on the hard ground. Quickly, he pulled himself up and shot an arrow at its neck but it simply bounced off like water of a duck's back. Its scales were too thick for a single arrow to pierce through.

Tilting its head sidewards, it snapped at Link and he instinctively pulled his arm away from the sharp teeth but the fiery mane hit his shoulder and neck. Link cried out in pain as he felt his skin burn but he had no time to think about pain right now. If he didn't find a way to defeat this monster, he would have to face a much worse fate.

He started running and ducked under the serpentine body as it tried to manoeuvre in the small hall and with his left arm he thrust the blade of the sword into the underside of the dragon. Surprisingly, it went through like a knife would cut through butter and Link earned a painful and angry howl from the creature beside him. However, before he could remove his sword, the dragon pulled its lower body away and out of Link's reach and the sword was gone, leaving him defenceless. He cursed as he ran across the room while trying to avoid the fiery breath and the swift movements of the tail which could easily sweep him off his feet if he came too close. His body soon began to become tired because all he could do was running and trying to avoid the dragon's attacks while still aiming for his sword.

"Link, move!"

The order came out of nowhere so suddenly, that Link lost his balance and fell to the ground. He hastily turned around and saw a familiar face standing in the hole that the beast had created. It was Darunia, the leader of the Gorons and he was holding a huge hammer in both hands, staring at his enemy. The dragon gazed back and hurled a beam of fire at him but it passed him by without hurting him the least.

With a speed that Link would have never expected from him, the Goron approached his opponent and swung the hammer. It crashed down with a loud thump and broke the armour that covered the dragon's head, causing it to burst into little pieces. The dragon fell down onto the ground, eyes closed and paralysed.

"Quick, take your sword and cut off its head as long as it's not able to move!", Darunia shouted and Link didn't hesitate for a second. He ran up to the beast, pulled out his blade and chopped off the head.

The headless body jerked into every direction and hit Link, and when it fell down to the ground for the last time, it almost buried him under it if Darunia had not pulled him away.

Link whimpered in pain as he felt more skin burn. The Goron carefully lifted him up into his arms and carried him away. Away from the temple, away from the unbearable heat and away from the distinctive smell of blood and death.


	8. Chapter 8 Destiny

**Chapter 8 Destiny**

"Hold still," the young red-haired woman ordered as she poured healing water over the burned skin on Link's neck, shoulders and face. The blond clenched his teeth at the pain the water caused on his hurt skin and tried not to cry out.

He was sitting on a bed in one of the houses in Kakariko, one of the only villages in Hyrule that had been left untouched by Ganondorf so far. Anju had stripped him off his tunic and shirt to analyse his wounds and she had not been very happy with what she saw. The skin was badly damaged and it would take its time to completely heal from the burns.

The Goron leader had brought his friend all the way from the Death Mountain down to the village but finding out that he was one of the seven sages, he had left to join Saria. Link sighed when Anju was finally done. She put away the bucket she had brought along with the healing water, bandages and other salves that the old Granny had prepared for him.

"Please take a rest. I will come back later to look at your wounds again," Anju said and smiled politely. Then she went out of the room and left him alone.

The blond slowly raised his hand and touched his face. The skin felt uneven and hard under his fingers and he pulled them away again. He had not even had a proper chance to look at his adult self and now he was disfigured. His gaze went out into nowhere as he simply kept sitting where he was.

Navi watched her companion with concern. Although he was not deadly injured, he had taken much damage and seeing him in this state hurt her. She gently sat down on his hand and embraced his finger. "It will heal completely, I'm sure about that, Link," she said in her melodious voice and looked at him. He still avoided her eyes and kept staring at the wall. She sighed and flew up to his healthy shoulder. Her small hands reached out and touched the soft skin of his cheek, gently caressing it and leaning her head against it. And this moment, she wished she had been taller so that she could wrap her arms around him and solace him properly.

They spent three days in Anju's house and Link helped her with small things in the household in return of her care. His body was quickly recovering from small cuts and bruises but the burns would not want to heal properly. Although Link tried to conceal his feelings he had not quite found back to his former self. His shoulder and neck had been bandaged and he had a huge patch on his cheek but it did not help for he knew what was hidden underneath.

He left the house through the back door to fill his bucket with grains in order to feet the chicken Anju was allergic of. Staying here and distracting himself from his real duty came as a happy coincidence and he was glad to be able to finally get some sleep and proper food.

"This is not really the time to look after such minor business."

The Sheikah was sitting on the roof and looked down at the other man with the same indifferent, cold look in his strange eyes.

Link felt a feeling of anger rise up inside of him but avoided his gaze while continuing his action.

"And it is precisely not the time to wallow in self-pity. _Hero_." He jumped off the roof and approached him. "You can't just pretend that you have nothing else to do than feeding chicken or sweeping the floor! You have a duty to fulfil as well as I also have to follow my orders."

"Leave me alone, Sheikah. You do nothing else than talk and talk and let me do everything. Why should I follow your orders? Why don't you just do it yourself?"

Sheik furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes. "Because I am not the Chosen One. I am much more a warrior than yourself and I would take over this task if I was bound for it. But I am not."

"What do you know about fighting? Have you ever faced death? I guess you never even came close to death yourself!"

Sheik felt his cheeks burn with hate. He had not been fond of Zelda's idea to involve Link in their business but seeing how selfish and immature her hero was, he couldn't help but hate him that very moment. What little did he know about life and death? Sheik himself had been nothing more than a little boy when armed men killed his parents and friends. And he probably would have died if he had not been able to hide. He had watched as their houses burned down, he had heard the screams of the dying people of his race and he had seen more blood than a boy of this age could endure. He had trained himself all these years to become a warrior himself and he was still bearing the hate inside. But he was a Sheikah and he would not show any emotional reaction to such a childish provocation.

"Perhaps not, but all of us could face such a fate if we do not stop Ganondorf. Do you want Hyrule to become a destroyed land? Do you want the people to die at his hands because we only _watched_?"

There was a long silence before Link dropped the bucket and looked into Sheik's eyes.

"Where do I have to go?" he asked quietly.

"Follow me."


	9. Chapter 9 Reunion

**Chapter 9 Reunion**

_"There's someone waiting for you outside of Kakariko," _the Sheikah had told him before he left. When he went down the stairs, a young woman with red hair and a flaxen horse were standing in front of him. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the distinctive horse. There was no doubt that this was Epona, the same mare he had met as a foal.

"Hello fairy boy." A wide grin showed up on Malon's face as she recognized the man she had once taught Epona's song. He stepped closer to the mare and caressed her soft fur. In response, she pushed her velvety nose against his cheek and blew warm air on his skin and hair. She had recognized him from the first moment and though he had not seen her in a long time, it seemed that she was already quite fond of him.

Malon giggled cheerfully. "I always knew that one day, you would be bound for each other. Usually she doesn't like men but you seem to be an exception. She can probably sense that you truly are someone special."

Link looked up in surprise. "Does that mean...?"

She nodded. "Yes, I will give her to you. In fact, it was her who chose her master, not me, so I don't really have a choice, do I?"

He smiled. "Thank you, Malon."

"However, if you ever dare to treat her bad, I will never forgive you!" Her face looked stern but her lips soon curved into another cheerful smile. "Good Luck, fairy boy!"

Travelling on horseback turned out to be way more comfortable than by foot and the hero quickly adjusted to the saddle and the newly gained feeling. It would've been a feeling of freedom if there hadn't been Sheik's warning voice in his head. He sighed as he spurred his horse into a light gallop and leaned over her neck with the wind blowing through his hair. He was heading south-west to Lake Hylia where Sheik had sent him to. He had followed the other man all the way to the Zora domain and had seen the damage that Ganondorf had caused to the Zora race. The once so glorious water domain was completely frozen. Most of the Zora eventually had managed to flee but some were imprisoned under the thick ice that covered the whole realm. No one knew where they actually had gone to but this was just like them. They had always been a proud race and they had never been asking for help from outside. It had shocked him to see what had happened and he knew that Sheik had been right all along.

It was a long ride to the lake and it would probably take him two days to get there so he allowed them to take breaks every now and then. They were in the middle of Hyrule field but occasionally there were a few trees or rock formations to be found which provided protection from the wind and cold. When the sun set they paused to eat and rest for the night and when it started to dawn again, they set off once again.

They reached the lake in the afternoon of the second day and Link gasped at the sight of the huge surface. What once had been a lake filled with pure water was now a dried out crater. Navi let out a cry of surprise. "How could this happen..."

The blond carefully led his horse to the dried-out lake bottom and they advanced to the structure in the middle of the lake that usually was well hidden by the water. Now it was visible to everyone who dared to come close. Link got off his horse and knelt down to examine the symbol that was floating on the puddle right next before his feet. The fairy sat down on his arm as usual and commented: "It is the hidden entry of the water temple. Only members of the Zora or the royal family are allowed to enter. Link, play the song Impa once taught you. It will open the temple for you."

Link nodded and took the ocarina out of his pocket. The small object felt cool in his hand although it should have been warmed by his body temperature. However it never did. He touched the smooth surface before he put the instrument to his lips and started playing. He had witnessed the magic of the ocarina more than once but it stunned him every time.

The puddle suddenly grew bigger and more water flooded the area around Link's feet. It was as if the structure was growing. A door appeared in the wall and the water suddenly stopped. Link looked down at the pool of water and the door underneath it.

He would have to dive and get wet.


	10. Chapter 10 Reflection

**Chapter 10 Reflection**

Two small drops chased each other along the smooth surface of the white fabric and landed without a single sound in the crystal clear water that covered the ground of the cloudy and sparse landscape. Solely a single tree stood in the middle of what seemed to be a vast scenery with no borders. As soon as Link had pushed open the door to the next room, he had stepped into another world. It puzzled him as he had expected another room of the temple but this was something his mind could not quite grip. He could not even tell how large it was since heavy fog made his vision become blurry. When he turned around, he could not even see the door he had come through. He wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him or if this was another kind of magic. Navi popped out her head under Link's tunic and shook off some water. She hated this temple even more than the previous one. More than once she had felt like drowning. Her lungs were simply not big enough for these huge amounts of water that flooded the temple.

Link's gaze wandered off into the distance but there was nothing he could see. He felt completely unprotected and it sent shivers down his spine.

"Can you see or feel anything, Navi?" he asked his fairy but she shook her head.

"No, I can't feel any aura but, Link, this room is creepy. Please be careful."

He nodded and started walking around the room with the sword in his hand, ready to fight if necessary. More than once he imagined to have seen shadows shooing through the room but every time he took a close look, they had gone.

After having walked around for several minutes, he finally turned to the tree and sat down next to it. There was nothing he could do, this room was a real trap. He could neither see nor feel anything. What if he never made it out of here again? What if he was stuck here forever? And what if he was no longer inside the temple but caught somewhere in a strange world? He would probably starve to death if he wasn't killed by anything that approached him in his sleep. Once again he doubted Zelda's decision to involve him in things he had not fully understood back then. Why was he the Chosen One? Why not someone else; someone like the Sheikah whose wisdom and knowledge out-ranged his by far. He would've known what to do but Link was alone. There was no one else, no one except his fairy who didn't have the solution of the problem either.

Link shut his eyes tight. The absolute silence of the room was only disturbed by his breathing and the seldom flapping of Navi's wings. She was sitting on his shoulder and rested her head against his warm neck. The silence that lingered in this room made her feel uncomfortable and even slightly depressed. Or was it Link's depressing aura that took her in completely? She put her palm flat against his cheek and called his name but he showed no reaction. It was as if he was caught in his own thoughts.

He suddenly got up and stared at the water beneath him. This time he was absolutely sure that he had seen a face. The shadow appeared again under the water surface and fled, came back and went off again. Link followed it before Navi could protest and then we was out of sight. Soon he could not even see the tree anymore. He was completely alone and not even his fairy was anywhere close. Despair struck him as he realised that he was doomed. He let himself fall down on his knees and touched the water with both hands. It felt cool and slightly odd as well, as if there was something underneath the surface he could not see, only touch. And suddenly, the silence got interrupted. Voices seemed to close in on him from everywhere; voices he knew from his past. They became louder and louder until he couldn't bear it any longer and pressed both hands flat against his ears. He heard Saria calling his name, Zelda telling him that he could never meet her expectations, Ganondorf laughing at him for being a fool and in the end there was only one voice left. It was his own. He slowly removed his hands from his ears and stared at the water, so clear that he could see his own reflection. And even though he knew this face staring back at him, there was something so strange about it that he found it hard to believe that this was him. He put one hand on the water and his reflection did the same. And then he sank in.

When he opened his eyes again, the fog was gone. He was lying on the ground with all limbs spread from his body and with his face in the water. Slowly he rose to his feet and looked around. The room had changed and he could finally see walls and a door. When he approached the tree calling for Navi he felt a strange sensation, like he was no longer alone. As he did not receive an answer from his fairy, he tried calling her again.

"Navi? Where are you?"

"Are you looking for this?"

Startled, he turned around and gasped for air.

Yes, it had been his own voice he had heard. The person he was facing was himself. For a moment he did nothing but stare; stare at himself and being stared at from himself.

Until he realised that his other self was holding a tiny fairy in his hand, ready to crush her every moment.

"Let her go," he growled angrily and grabbed his sword.

His other self laughed and opened his hand. The fairy fell down and remained motionless on the ground.

"You bastard, who are you?" Link rushed forward and swung his sword but his opponent blocked the attack with his own sword. There was no doubt, even his sword looked exactly like the master sword. He was a perfect copy.

"I am you. The dark side of your mind. I was born out of your despair and frustration."

Link attacked once more but again his sword was being warded off. The moves of his copy were the same as his own, it was as if he could read Link's mind. Or maybe he just _knew_.

"What do you want?"

He laughed again. "The same as you I guess. Or rather the things your evil mind wants. Those things you would never admit to be longing for."

"What are you talking about?"

With one swift move he raised his arm and swung his sword. The blade cut through Link's shirt and left a bloody gash on his skin.

"You talk too much and let your guard down. This is not the time for discussions. I'm sure we will meet again."

With a grin he piled the handle of his sword into Link's stomach and then he was gone.

Coughing, the hero steadied himself on the tree and panted for air. When his vision had become clear again, he hastily bent down and picked up the small fairy. She was still unconscious but at least she was breathing.

Boiling with anger, he punched the tree with his fist. "That bastard!"

After a moment he finally picked up his sword and shield and aimed for the door.

The bastard was going to pay for this.


	11. Chapter 11 Damage

**Chapter 11 Damage**

The moon was already rising in the sky when the Sheikah saw a shadow coming out of the water temple. He sighed and jumped down from the branch he was sitting on when the hero came closer.

"What happened?" He raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" the other blond replied.

"Did you not fight the evil inside the temple? The water is not coming back."

"I did. I'm sure the lake will be filled up again soon." He moved closer to the Sheikah and reached out to touch his arm but a sharp blade against his throat made him stop halfway.

"Who are you? You're not Link," Sheik hissed.

The blond pulled away his arm, carefully not to make a wrong move. The Sheikah had taken out his knife with such speed that he had not been able to follow it with his eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment with hostile gazes.

"I should kill you right here." Sheik put more pressure on the blade.

"If you kill me, you also kill your cute hero. If I was you, I wouldn't be overhasty, Sheikah."

Sheik reluctantly pulled away but didn't take his eyes off his enemy.

The false hero grinned. "You're a good boy. If we ever meet again you shall have your chance to kill me but for now I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye."

He made a few steps backwards. "Oh and by the way, he is coming."

Link had barely found his way out of the temple again and as soon as he reached the entry, he felt a huge wave of water swash over him. He struggled to keep his head over water but it pushed his wounded body down over and over again. Finally the water seemed to calm down and filled the lake more calmly. He closed his eyes and let the water carry him to the surface.

Sheik saw Link's body float into his direction and as soon as he was close enough, he reached out and grabbed his arm to pull him out of the water. His tunic was ripped into shreds and stains of blood spread over the wet fabric. He carefully turned him over to lie down on his back. "Oi, are you still alive?"

The hero coughed a few times and let out a moan. "Yes, I am," he said weakly.

He sat up and grimaced painfully. "Why is there a room decorated with murderous spikes in this temple? It almost killed me," he muttered but Sheik ignored him.

His red eyes looked straight into Link's sapphire orbs as he bent slightly forward.

"What happened in there?" His voice was stern as usual but the mocking tone was completely gone.

Link swallowed. "I am not sure but I think I have a twin now."

"What. Happened."

The Sheikah frowned when Link finished his story.

"So it is true," he said quietly. "There is a legend that long before our time, the Zora had hidden a precious relict inside the temple. In order to avoid that any thieves would steal it, they built a room that they called _the room of despair_. Every man who entered it was faced with his deepest fears and most of them died out of despair or madness. However I never heard that anyone of them faced their flaws in form of an exact copy of themselves. Ganondorf must have something to do with it."

"If he is an exact copy of me, does that mean that he knows what I'm thinking? I tried to fight him but it was like he had foreseen my every move."

"It might be possible though I doubt that he can read your thoughts. Or do you know what he was thinking?"

Link shook his head. It made sense. If his other self could read his mind, then he should be able to do the same.

"We must stop him before he harms anyone in your name," the Sheikah continued. "But first you need to rest."

He went off and came back with Epona who was delighted to see her master alive. She tenderly nudged his chest with her nose and blew warm air in his face. In the meanwhile Sheik had taken out a blanket, the red tunic and a slice of bread of the saddlebag and handed them over to his companion. "You should take those wet clothes off and put on something different. I will be right back." And with that said he disappeared into the shadows. Navi sat down between Epona's ears and crossed her arms. She still felt a little dizzy but was recovering quickly.

"Sometimes I wonder what he's up to..." she murmured and looked back at Link, now blushing deeply. The blond was stripping off his clothes and carefully put them aside. His wounds were stinging but he simply shrugged the pain off. There was no time to care about small scratches.

"Link, you should take care of your wounds and get them cleaned up and bandaged. I will go and get Sheik."

He smiled softly. "It's ok, Navi, don't bother. They will heal soon, it's not that bad."

She flew over to him with a worried expression on her face and sat down on his arm.

"Are you sure? It looks pretty bad."

He nodded and tilted his head backwards. The blanket warmed him only a little and he pulled it tighter around his body.

The Sheikah did not come back. He sat on the roof of an old, abandoned hut, well hidden in the shadows, and observed them silently. He was nothing more than the hero's guidance and he wasn't too eager to get involved with him too much. He watched him as he laid down and snuggled up to the warmth of the horse's body. What was it about him that people loved so much? Why was it so easy for him to attract them? And why would every single one of them follow him to the end of the world?

Even though he had learned so much about life, love was a feeling he had never experienced and thinking about it filled him with a sentiment of discomfort. He knew that one could live his life without having friends; the most important thing was to be able to keep oneself alive. And still...he couldn't help but feel a little jealous as he watched the hero fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12 Companionship

**Chapter 12 Companionship**

The sun had still not risen when the Sheikah left the roof where he spent the night and approached the small group. The Hylian was still sleeping, body resting against his horse but a sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead. Sheik knelt down and reached out his hand. The skin under his cool fingers was hot. He sighed. This was not the right time for the hero to become sick but no matter what they needed to carry on. He lifted the blanket that covered his body and woke him up.

"Get yourself ready, we will set off in ten minutes."

The Hylian opened his eyes and moved into an upright position. His body was tired and exhausted and his wounds were stinging more than ever. He steadied himself on his horse as dizziness struck him and just stood there for a second. Navi sat down on his shoulder and examined his face with a worried expression. "He got a fever, he should not move yet," she shouted into Sheik's direction. How could he be so indifferent?

Sheik only raised an eyebrow and continued packing their stuff into the saddlebags. "It won't kill him. We can't stay here."

She angrily flapped her wings and crossed her arms in front of his face. "He won't be able to do anything right now. Why did you not look after his wounds? They probably got infected and now his body is trying to fight it!"

"Don't scold me, why didn't you do it yourself? Since you care so much about him."

"What does that mean?" she asked and narrowed her eyes.

"That means that even a blind man can see that you are fiercely in love with your hero."

"I am not!" she protested but her face had obtained the colour of a mellow tomato.

"Besides, what do YOU know about love?" she continued screaming in a resentful tone.

"Nothing," he simply said.

The sound of footsteps coming closer interrupted their argument and Navi buzzed off to sit between Epona's ears. She was obviously offended.

"I am ready," the hero said.

Sheik led the way and Link trotted behind him. He felt weak but still tried to catch up with the man in front of him. Upon seeing in which condition the young hero had started his journey, the Sheikah was aware that he could not let him go alone this time. He had come to the conclusion that if his condition didn't improve until night, he would take him to the great fairy even though that meant taking him down a dangerous path. Either way they had to walk into the same direction.

Much to his dismay, they could not travel fast. The fever was taking its toll on Link and he was slowing down more and more. They had to take several breaks and Sheik slowly lost his hope that he would have recovered by nightfall.

When the sun began to set, Link was at the end of his tether. He flopped down on the ground and leaned his back against the tree behind him. "I can't walk any further," he murmured and closed his eyes.

Sheik sighed inaudibly and knelt down next to him. "Let me see your wounds," he finally offered. Link took off the red tunic he was still wearing and Sheik cursed under his breath. The infection was worse than he had expected and there was no way that they could avoid seeing the great fairy.

"I have to take you somewhere else before we can continue our way to Kakariko. But it will be a harsh path to walk on and I'm not sure if you're strong enough."

Link gave him a puzzled look. "Where do you want to take me?"

"We need to get your wounds cleaned. And I'm sure she can take care of this as well," he added and put a bandaged finger on his burned cheek.

Link turned his face away from him. He hated the fact that everyone could see his burns.

"Take a rest now, you need to collect as much strength as you can before we set off. And this time, ride your horse dammit."


	13. Chapter 13 The Great Fairy

**Chapter 13 The Great Fairy**

They hit the road in the early morning. Sheik had helped Link to get on his horse and they were heading west. Soon, the lush grass of the Hyrule field made way to a more dry and rocky ground and the temperatures gradually increased. Navi was constantly flying back and forth, not knowing where the Sheikah was leading them.

"You're not taking him to the desert, now are you?" she twittered into his ear.

"I am not."

"So, where are we going then?"

"To Gerudo valley."

"...Gerudo valley? Are you mad? What business do you have there?"

"There are things about Hyrule you probably haven't heard about yet, miss know-it-all," he simply replied and ignored her perpetual nagging.

They reached the valley in the early evening. Although the desert had a quite striking influence on the weather down there, it started becoming cooler bit by bit. Link let himself slide down his horse's back and landed unsteady on his feet. His fever had become worse and he was now either sweating from too much heat or shaking from cold. He sat down on the ground and leaned his back against a rock. He hated his body for being so weak and having become a burden to both Sheik and his other companions. He closed his eyes and listened to the rushing sound of the waterfall and the river beneath them. He could only hope that Sheik knew what he was doing.

The Sheikah had gone off but soon came back with a small recipient and a piece of cloth that he dipped into the cool water.

"I will do it. No need to act like you care." Navi crossed her arms and threw her head back. She was still offended and it was quite clear that she did not like this man.

Sheik simply shrugged and got up again. If she could not control her jealousy it should not be his problem.

The small fairy grabbed the cloth and with much effort she managed to wring it out. Carefully, as not to spill the water over his whole body, she started washing off the sweat and cooling Link's hot skin. Sheik had not helped them much before, why would they need him now? If there was something she could do for her friend, then she was ready to sacrifice herself by all means.

Sheik had once more disappeared into the darkness and enjoyed the silence and the feeling of being alone. He had always been a lone wolf and travelling in company was already tugging at his nerves. A hero who could not take care of himself and an annoying fairy that was constantly reproaching him. He shook his head slightly and stared down into the dark water. The bridge that led over this rapid river had been destroyed and they would have to take the narrow path down to the waterfall. If only he could get some sleep to gather more strength but he knew that sleep was dangerous.

They started their way down to the waterfall as soon as it was bright enough to make sure they did not make a wrong step. Due to Link's fever they weren't able to travel fast and Sheik always kept looking back to ensure himself they were still behind him. They had left the horse because the path was way too narrow for such a big animal but the fairy had insisted on coming with them. It seemed hard to get rid of her.

The path was indeed very narrow and uneven and led them along the huge abyss. The right side of the path was secured by the wall of the red rock but there was nothing to hold on to on the left side. Nothing but a yawning void. Link swallowed as he walked along the path with unsure steps and forced himself not to look down. In front of him the Sheikah was climbing down like he had done nothing else for years. He let his hands run over the surface of the rock to stabilize and slowly made one step after the other.

The sun was shining mercilessly down on them as they were midway. Sheik decided that they would have a short break when they had reached a bigger ledge and both of them sat down against the wall. Link was breathing heavily. It cost him much effort to focus on the path while feeling dizzy. His wounds were still stinging and his sweat made them stick to the rough fabric of his tunic. "This is the worst thing ever," he whined and leaned his head against the rock. "I'm not sure if I'll make it down there."

The Sheikah touched his front; it was burning hot. He sighed. He would have to carry him.

They reached the end of the path by the end of the day. The hero was hanging limp on Sheik's back, his arms barely able to hold on to him. The waterfall was only a mere meters away from them and the rushing of the water was so loud, that he could not even hear what the Sheikah was saying. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the warm back in front of him. It felt comforting. A few drops of water splashed over him as they drew nearer and then it was suddenly calm.

Sheik walked along the dark corridor and only stopped when they arrived at a small pool with icy blue, crystal clear water. He let Link down and sat down on one knee. "Great Fairy, please answer my prayer. I need your help."

An awkward silence settled as he did not get any answer but suddenly the water started to bubble as if it was boiling and the room got lit by magical lights.

Navi stared in awe when a tall woman emerged from the water. She was naked, her breasts only covered by her long glowing hair and four pairs of golden wings growing out of her back. And she was stunningly beautiful. When she spoke it sounded like hundreds of crystal bells and her strange yet breathtaking voice filled the air.

"Oh, it is you, Sheik. What can I do for you?"

The Sheikah lifted his head to look at her and his cheeks were tinted with a light pink when he replied. "The young hero here needs your help."

The fairy laughed light-heartedly and grabbed the Sheikah's hand, pulling him to his feet. "Undress him and lay him down into the water, I'll see what I can do for him." She giggled. "He's quite handsome, just like you." She blew a kiss into his direction.

Sheik obeyed and removed the red tunic before he lifted Link up and laid him down into the water. The fairy sat down beside him and touched his chest with both hands. Her body and the holy water started glowing in a golden light as she started to heal his wounds.

Navi watched with disbelief how the wounds started to be cleaned and slowly vanished, leaving not even a single trace. Even the burns were fading away and the same, perfectly smooth skin reappeared on his neck and cheek. He was reborn.


	14. Chapter 14 Out of the shadows

**Chapter 14 Out of the shadows**

"Are you going to leave us now?" The hero could not hide his disappointment when the Sheikah told him they would be fine on their own now.

"You will find your way to Kakariko alone, won't you?" Sheik crossed his arms.

"I guess so..."

"I have to make sure your dark side hasn't done any damage yet. Besides, I think your fairy will be happy to get rid of me."

"Navi? Why should she be happy if you leave?" he asked naively.

"Nevermind. We will meet again in Kakariko, hero." He turned on his heels and started walking away.

"Sheik! Wait!" Link rushed forward and grabbed Sheik's slender wrist.

The latter turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"Thank you for saving me, Sheik."

Their eyes met for a moment. There was nothing but pure honesty in Link's blue eyes but he didn't even come close to reading the always stern red eyes of the Sheikah. It was like a barrier that separated his inner self from the world outside. They had become familiar, yet still strange.

"Would you mind letting go of my wrist now?" Sheik finally broke the silence.

A small blush formed on Link's cheeks as he finally removed his hand from Sheik's arm.

Without a single word, the other blond turned away and disappeared into the shadows.

Link sighed deeply. Although it had been short, he had gotten used to having someone to talk to, even though their conversations had never been very long nor casual. He went over to Epona and climbed onto her back. He led her to the path they had come from and soon they were galloping over the green fields of Hyrule. Their provisions were slowly diminishing and he was well aware that the sooner they came to Kakariko, the better.

When nightfall came, they paused near a stream. Link removed the saddle and harness from Epona and let her graze. At least for her, he did not have to worry.

He shared his last piece of bread with Navi, who, due to her tiny height, luckily didn't eat much either and collected a few branches to lit a small campfire. The closer they came to the northern part of Hyrule, the colder it got. He took out the blanket from the saddlebag and wrapped it around his body while moving closer to the warming fire and stared into the dancing flames. Navi cuddled up against his neck and warmed herself on his skin. Something was troubling her friend, she could sense it from the way he sighed and stared. Did he actually miss the Sheikah? Once again, she wished she could be taller. If she was like the great fairy herself, maybe then Link would notice her and treat her like a real person and not like a small annoying ball of light. Maybe the great fairy could even make this happen. If she could heal someone completely, her magic might also be able to make her grow.

When the fire died down, he moved into a lying position, let his head rest on his arm and soon dozed off into a light slumber, unaware of the danger that was approaching. Epona was the first one to notice that they were net alone. She shifted nervously on her spot and whinnied quietly. Her ears were moving from one side to the other and her eyes were filled with nervousness and fear. She nudged her sleeping master but earned nothing more than a few groans. The shuffling steps came closer and soon she could hear low voices. She nudged him one more time with her nose and pulled away his blanket when there was still no reaction coming from him.

"Hmhm,..Epona...stop it, let me sleep," he murmured and tried to pull back his blanket.

A shadow suddenly rushed forward out of nowhere and put out the fire.

"How stupid can you really be?" he hissed and jerked Link out of sleep.

"Sheik? What's wrong?" His face was still sleepy but his eyes were now fully awake.

Sheik put his hand over Link's mouth and made a sign for him to be quiet. Darkness was now completely enshrouding them and Link could hear the footsteps and murmuring voices that became louder the closer they came. With a quiet move, he got up and pulled his sword out of the sheath.

Soon they could see torches that lit the close surrounding of the ones holding them. They were people he had seen before; dressed in black cloaks with lances in one hand and a piece of black cloth around their heads. They seemed to be preoccupied with their chat and didn't focus on their environment which allowed Link and his companions to remain unseen, safely protected by the darkness. The voices and lights departed little by little and when they were gone, Link dared to breathe again. He turned his head to look at the Sheikah but could see nothing more than a vague silhouette. And even though he wasn't able to recognize any facial features, he could literally feel the annoyed aura radiating from him.

"You fool! Have you not learned that it's not safe to lit a fire in the fields and sleep in these times when danger is waiting behind every corner?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"You're such a waste! You're like a big baby that's lost without anyone who takes care of it! What would you have done if I hadn't been there?"

Navi interrupted him bluntly. "He's not a baby and he has fought against more evil than you'll ever do! How should he be able to fulfil his tasks if he's not allowed to sleep at all?"

She glared at him angrily. "Besides, what are _you _doing here anyway?"

Sheik gave her an annoyed look. "You should be happy _that_ I was here."

"That doesn't answer my question!"

"I was somewhere around."

"Hah! You followed us! Did the great Sheikah feel lonely?"

"You..."

"Would you please stop fighting?" Link cut them off. "I'm sorry. I did a mistake. No need to make a fuss about it, nothing happened, right?"

Sheik groaned but didn't insist on it any longer. He sat down and crossed his legs. Why was he really here? He had followed them all day long, always in the shadows, never noticed. He had watched them sit together, eat together and chat together. Did he really only want to make sure that this fool was doing everything right? Of course, he did. He was a Sheikah. Navi's remark that he had been lonely was ridiculous. Sheikah did not feel lonely. Never.

Link sat down next to him. He felt awkward since he didn't like the fact that Sheik was so pissed off because of his stupidity. In fact, he hated nothing more than people being mad at him for whatever reason.

"It is cold," he commented.

Sheik did not reply but he didn't go away either. He was calming down and still lost in his thoughts. Link took the blanket he had used before, shifted closer to the other blond until their shoulders touched and put the blanket around their bodies. Even though the incident had not been very lucky he enjoyed the fact that Sheik had come back. Ever since he came back to Hyrule after seven years, he was alone most of the time. He had watched his friends turning their backs on him because they did not recognize him anymore and he had let Saria, Darunia and Ruto go as they departed for the chamber of the sages. Navi was the only one who had stayed with him but even though she was a good friend, he often longed for someone else. A human like himself. Or maybe even someone like Sheik, regardless his everlasting bad mood.

He turned his head slightly towards the man next to him and watched him silently, now that his eyesight finally had adjusted to the darkness. Sometimes he wondered, what he would look like under his disguise. All he could ever see of him was a slender yet muscular body, blond hair and the red piercing eyes. He wondered if he was hiding something behind this cowl he always wore over his mouth and nose.

"Sheik, can I ask you a question?" he began and penetrated the silence that had settled between them.

"I know what you are going to ask." Sheik sounded calm now and no longer angry. It reassured Link.

"Really?"

"You want to know why I am wearing this and why I never show my face."

Link was a little surprised. "Yes. Why do you?"

Sheik sighed. "It is safer not to show your face to your enemies – or potential enemies."

"I hope you don't consider me as a potential enemy."

"I don't. You're far too stupid to become a real danger for me."

"Hey! I'm not!" Link protested, "but why do you wear it even now where only me could see it?"

"You never know who might be watching, hero."

"I do have a name, you know?"

"I know."

"I don't like being called hero all the time. Why don't you just call me by my name?"

"You can be quite annoying."

Link stared into the darkness and kept quiet for a moment.

"Is it true that the Sheikah are indebted to the royal family?"

"Sort of."

"With you it's like getting blood out of a stone! Do I really have to pull every word out of your mouth?"

"You ask, I give answers."

"Well then, may you tell me about it?"

Sheik sighed audibly. He was a little sensitive when it came to this subject and he usually avoided talking about his race but he knew that Link was probably not giving up on this.

"My race once had a secured place in these lands, before the ancient king unified the country. They were normal people like any other race but never considered dignified enough to be on the same level than the Hylians. However, the king had seen the great magic powers of my race and he ensured them a safe living inside his kingdom in return for their services to the royal family. The Sheikah had always been loyal and they were able to establish their own villages. However, one day the king betrayed them."

"What happened?"

"Having learned that the Sheikah were slowly growing to be a bigger community and actually living their own lives, he was afraid of losing control. I even think that he was afraid of their sharp minds. He banned them out of Hyrule and to make sure that no one was staying, he let their houses burn down. The red eye is the emblem of the Sheikah. It used to be just the eye, referring to our own rare eye colour but after the king had betrayed them, they added a red tear. It stands both for the blood that was shed and the sadness about this betrayal."

"Why are you still loyal to the king now? After everything that happened?"

"Because the Sheikah have been stupid! They haven't always been what we are today: warriors, protectors. Once they believed in other morals. And as the new king rose and asked for forgiveness, they forgave. They were outcasts and low on food or other provisions. Dealing with the royal family once again ensured them of edibles. But they were too naive. They should have refused to interact with the king again."

Link had listened carefully. He felt sorry for what had happened to the Sheikah race. He imagined that it must be hard for him to serve someone who had betrayed his folk long ago. But Sheik's story had also made him tired and he yawned deeply.

"As for now, I can't really do anything else, especially now that Ganondorf has taken over control of the royal kingdom and the castle." He tilted his head backwards, looked into the sky and wondered when they would be able to see the stars shine again. Something landed on his shoulder and when he turned his head to check, he saw that Link was asleep, comfortably snuggling up to his shoulder. His instincts told him to move away but then again he had nothing to fear. Link was not an enemy, maybe the only person except Zelda and Impa that he could trust if he had to. Although he wasn't fond of being touched, he just let him be.


	15. Chapter 15 The Marriage

**Chapter 15 The Marriage**

Link didn't understand his fairy's huffy behaviour towards him. He wasn't aware of having done anything wrong and when he tried talking to her about it, she simply gave short answers.

In return, Navi could not understand how someone could be so blind. Wasn't it obvious that she disliked the Sheikah? She had watched them as they were sitting close and she felt pushed away. It was her who had always been with the hero and still he preferred Sheik's company rather than her own.

To make it even worse, Link had asked him to accompany them since they were heading in the same direction and though Sheik didn't seem to be too happy about it, he had agreed to come back at night.

He needed much time for himself and at least he didn't have to cope with the annoying fairy as long as he was travelling on his own. However, he kept his promise and as soon as nightfall came, he joined the unlike trio.

They rested once more close to a stream and this time Sheik gave Link the permission to lit a fire. The latter was busy cutting a small branch and when Sheik asked him what he was doing, Link proudly presented him his handmade fishing rod. He went to the border of the stream, took off his boots, sat down on the grass, let his feet dangle into the water and started throwing his rod. Sheik watched him with a mixed expression of mock and amusement and was once again thankful for the cowl that hid every emotional reaction. When Link returned he was wearing a wide smile on his face.

"Seems like you were successful," the Sheikah noticed.

He took the fish from Link and pulled out a small knife. He carefully cut the fish open and started removing the entrails. In the meanwhile Link took off his tunic and shirt which had become wet during his fishing adventure and carefully put them aside next to the fire, causing the fairy to turn red like a tomato from head to toe and the Sheikah to cut himself in the palm as he got distracted from his work.

"Damn!"

Link shook his head and crawled next to Sheik. "What are you doing? You should cut the fish, not yourself."

He grabbed Sheiks hand before the latter could protest and took it in his own to analyse the cut. It wasn't deep but still it should be cleaned and bandaged in order to avoid an infection.

"It is nothing." He tried to pull it away from Link's hand but the Hylian didn't let him go.

"I'll clean that." And with that said, he ripped off a piece of cloth, dipped it into water and started cleaning the small wound. When he was finished he wrapped it around his hand and tightened it with a knot. "See? That's how easy it is."

Sheik slowly pulled away his hand and looked at the bandage. It wasn't neatly done but it should stay in place. Why did this person always succeed in making him feel uncomfortable? And yet for once he did not feel the pressing need to run away. Was he actually starting to enjoy his company after all? He shrugged off the thought. Ever since he had started to accompany him, he was constantly reflecting about himself though he hated thinking about his behaviour and feelings.

The lack of sleep of the past days was slowly taking its toll on Sheik and he could no longer control his weariness. Leaning his head against his knees, he quickly fell asleep.

Link watched him silently, then moved over to his side and pulled him against his body. He wrapped the blanket around their bodies and for the first time ever, he saw him sleeping. And while he was staying awake, he was utterly tempted to reach out and pull away the cowl to finally see what the Sheikah's face looked like. However, it occurred to him that, should Sheik wake up, he'd probably kill him and so he decided to simply let it be. If Sheik trusted him enough, he would show his face to him, that he was convinced about.

They reached Kakariko in the late afternoon of the next day. Link had brought Epona to the nearby ranch to ensure that she was safe for the night and together with Sheik they climbed up the stairs that led to the village. When they entered they were greeted by chatting people, fairy lights and many small tables with lots of food and drinks. A few kids were running around chasing each other and in the middle of the village, Anju was dancing in a white dress with a purple-haired man. It was her wedding.

They approached the lively scene and Malon greeted Link cheerfully, inviting him to the party. When he turned around, Sheik was gone.

The wedding party lasted until early morning. Sheik was sitting on the roof of Impa's house and watched the people beneath him. Although he appreciated the fact that the people were still able to celebrate and enjoy life, he hated nothing more than masses of laughing people. He had let Link go for he knew that a diversification would cheer him up and he didn't want to be a bother. He watched him as he talked with all of them as if they had known each other for long and watched as Malon asked him for a dance which he accepted. He had seen the smile that made women become weak and the longer he sat there and watched, the lonelier he felt. He finally turned away and lied down on the roof. His eyes were searching for the clear sky and the bright stars but the same clouds were screening what was behind. He closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh air. His thoughts turned back to Link and a blush formed on his cheeks. He couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep last night but when he woke up in the morning, he found himself against the hero's body, face leaned against the warm skin of his bare torso. It filled him with deep embarrassment to admit that he hadn't slept so well since a long time.

A sudden sound followed by some cursing snatched him out of his thoughts. He sat up and saw Link trying to climb up the roof and looking miserable. He smirked under his cowl and reached out a hand to help him get on top of the roof. A little out of breath, the hero flopped down next to him. "Here you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! You couldn't have chosen a place that would be easier to access, could you?" He grimaced.

"You didn't have to follow me," Sheik replied.

"I thought you might feel lonely."

"Sheikah never feel lonely."

"Oh, yeah sure. I forgot." He laughed. He let his legs dangle off the roof and watched the other blond. He felt a tingling as the wine spread through his limbs and made him feel somewhat lighter.

"Sheik..."

"What?"

"I want to see your face."

"No."

"Why~?" He pouted.

"Have you been drinking?" Sheik raised an eyebrow.

"Only a little. Come on, show me your face." He reached forward to grab his cowl but Sheik turned his face away from him.

"Leave me alone, you're drunk."

Link grabbed him by his shoulders and bent forward to him, one more time trying to pull away the piece of cloth that separated his lower face from him until he felt a sharp blade against his throat.

"You're terribly obnoxious! Back off or I'll throw you down the roof."

The sun shone right through the window onto Link's face and jerked him out of his dream. He blinked a few times and turned his face away, groaning unsatisfied. Navi was still sleeping next to his head on the pillow and he sat up quietly in order not to wake her up. He sighed. Memories from his dream came back to his mind and he suddenly blushed deeply as he remembered what had happened in his sleep. His dream had been everything but innocent and every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sheik lying naked under him, saw him panting and moving his hips in the same rhythm as he did. He quickly opened his eyes but the pictures kept playing before his inner eye. To make it worse, his body had reacted to this intense dream and his crotch was painfully pressing against the fabric of his tight trousers. He was deeply ashamed of himself; why was he dreaming anything like that? What was Sheik doing to him? He hadn't been himself last night and the dream was surely the consequence of having drunk alcohol. He looked around the room and was relieved to find out that it was empty apart from the sleeping fairy. Merely a bucket with fresh water had been placed on top of the table and Link hurried down to wash himself and calm down the burning lower part of his body before either Sheik came back or the fairy woke up. It was refreshing but cold, however it felt extremely good on his body. He got dressed again and stepped out of the house into the fresh morning air.


	16. Chapter 16 Departure

**Chapter 16 Departure**

The young princess lifted her head when she heard the knock on her door. The Sheikah woman waited for her answer, then opened the door and walked inside.

"The time has come. I will have to leave you soon." Regret was swinging in her voice and she sat down on the small bed. Zelda turned to her and watched her quietly. She had known very well that Impa would leave her one day and she knew that it was necessary but still she could feel a sadness eating away at her heart. She reached out both hands and Impa took them into her own. "Don't be sad, my child. As soon as Ganondorf is banished, I will return to you, I promise."

She had raised the princess like the child she never had. Their bonds were very deep and it was hurting her to know that she had to let her go. That she was no longer able to protect her. But it also filled her with pride to see that she had turned into a young, beautiful and wise woman and one day she would rule as the queen this land so desperately needed.

Zelda sighed as she leaned against her nursemaid and wrapped her arms around her. She had learned to love this woman as her mother, because she had been there for her since her birth, when her real mother deceased.

They spent their last night together talking about memories and future hopes and when the first beams of sunlight appeared in the dark sky, they parted. The sage of the shadow was to be awoken soon.


	17. Chapter17The man who could see the truth

**Chapter 17 The man who could see the truth**

The village was apparently still sleeping, even though the sun was already quite high in the sky. When the hero walked down the stairs of the house, he saw a slender figure standing in front of the old well. Although he felt ashamed of himself, he knew he couldn't avoid talking to Sheik so he walked up to him.

Without even turning around, Sheik said: "Stay back."

The warning tone in his voice was not to be overheard and Link froze on the spot. A tension was lingering in the air and he instinctively touched the handle of his sword.

Sheik's eyes narrowed as he stared into the black abyss of the deep well.

A loud crashing sound followed by scales of wood raining down on Sheik broke the tension. The wooden construction on top of the well flew through the air, bursting into thousands of small pieces until it crashed down onto the ground. Link grabbed his sword tighter, unaware of what was going on.

A dark shadow crept out of the depths of the well, two pairs of red eyes visible for a moment until it was nothing more than a black pulsating substance.

With a swift move the Sheikah jumped away from the creature but it was faster than him and threw him through the air as if he was nothing more than a doll.

"Sheik!" Link rushed forward as his friend painfully fell down on the ground. The black creature halted for a second and flew straight into Link's direction. Before he could even defend himself or protect Sheik, it simply broke through his body, throwing him to the ground. He cried out in pain when he felt his organs being pushed away by the enormous force but a moment later, he felt nothing more. His heart was pounding so heavy against his chest that he was afraid it could burst but it slowly calmed down to a more steady rhythm. He turned over to Sheik and saw him still lying on the ground, his body decorated with the scales of wood that had rained down on him. He carefully lifted him up into his arms and looked at him.

"I'm ok..." the Sheikah answered slowly and coughed. It seemed like no one of them was seriously injured. The creature was gone.

"What was that?"

Sheik sat up and stared at the broken well. "The creature that was sealed away in the depths of this well has escaped. The seal has been broken."

Before Link could answer anything, a door was opened and a furious looking woman came out, soon followed by more people who left their houses. She pointed the finger at the hero and screamed: "That's him, the one who went into the well. He released the monster!"

Another man continued: "He's not a hero! He's probably one of Ganondorf's spies!"

"Traitor!"

Link's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Sheik quickly got back up to his feet and pulled at Link's hand.

"We don't have time for this now. Quickly, we have to go the temple! Hurry!"

Link stumbled forward as he followed Sheik. "I have to get my bow! And Navi's still in the house."

"No, she's not," a high voice stated behind them. When he turned his head, he saw a tiny fairy carrying a huge bow and arrows in her arms. It must have been a big effort for her to come all the way along with something that weighed more than herself and Link quickly grabbed his weapons.

They reached the graveyard in a hurry and Sheik led them a narrow and hidden path behind a row of trees up to a secret place. They only stopped when they were out of reach of the people who had followed them to the graveyard and were now angrily looking for them. Link tried to catch his breath. "What the hell was that?" he asked between single breaths.

Sheik's eyes were grief-stricken. "I think I know what happened. Someone climbed down into the well and broke the seal. It was one of Ganondorf's henchmen. It was your twin, Link."

"What is this creature?"

"We do not have the time for this now, I might explain it to you later. It is now in this temple, in the house of the dead. Once this temple belonged to the Sheikah and it bears many memories. This time, I shall lead you the way."

Link nodded. He was ready.

The house of the dead, as Sheik had called the temple, was the creepiest place Link had ever seen. There were rooms where you did not expect any and things that the normal eye couldn't see. Link had to trust his leader blindly and if he was honest, he was more than happy about the fact that Sheik knew this place so well and he didn't have to be alone in here. Little by little, he understood why they called it the house of the dead: it was a huge tomb. When they approached the end of the tunnel, a boat came into sight. It was resting on a stream and see-sawed quietly from one side to the other. When they climbed into the boat, Sheik looked at him.

"This is the stream of the dead. Usually we do not take this way but if we want to destroy the creature that attacked us, we need to get the magical eye. It is an item that is locked away at the end of the stream."

"Sounds easy."

"There is a reason why people avoid this way, Link. Concentrate on something and don't let your thoughts wander off."

Link nodded but didn't quite understand the meaning of this. What was so dangerous about his boat?

Sheik sat straight, his eyes fixated the wooden carved dragon-head that decorated the head of the boat. He had never been on this boat, but he had heard many stories about the stream of the dead. The vehicle slowly started moving by an invisible force. More than of the evil creature, he was afraid of this stream. He didn't know what was really awaiting them.

Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. He lifted his head and stared into the darkness but could see no one. The voice called his name again and when he turned his head to the right, he could now see a person. It was his mother. She tenderly called him by his name and reached out her hand for him to take it. Before he could do anything, a fire appeared out of nowhere and burned her body to ashes. She was screaming for help but Sheik could do nothing but watch. The fire slowly spread out and and swallowed the houses next to him. More people ran, screamed and died. More voices called his name; his father, his sister, his grandparents. He reached out a hand, tried to take them away, tried to save them but everything went down into flames. The screams stayed with him, they pierced his body, tortured his mind. His knuckles turned white as he tried to steady himself. He bit his lip forcefully in order to avoid screaming until he felt the taste of blood in his mouth. Someone called his name, again and again. And suddenly everything was gone. Suddenly there was nothing but darkness, a boat and a silent stream. And two strong arms wrapped around his body. He now recognized the voice that had called his name. It was Link's. And he knew that he was safe now. He held onto him, simply leaned against his body and breathed.

Link watched his friend with a worried expression on his face as he held him tight. He had no idea what had just happened for he hadn't felt anything strange.

Sheik pulled himself together and reluctantly moved away from Link. The end of the stream was not yet to be seen and he somehow had to distract himself. So he began:

"Once, there was a man who lived in Kakariko. They say that he had a magical eye and could see the truth. Although he was a nice person, people were afraid of him, because he could see into their hearts and minds. Therefore they avoided him. One day, there was a thief who had stolen money from a family. The man saw into his mind and knew that he was lying. He told the family about the culprit. However, the thief was no other than the nephew of this same family and they did not believe him. They were furious and because the man would not apologize for a mistake he didn't commit, they broke into his house and cut out his eye. The man was so upset that he never came out of his house again. They say that he became mad and started hating mankind more than anything else. No one knows what really became of him. His house stood where now the well is. The eye is said to be hidden inside this temple."

Link shuddered. "Is it his eye that we're looking for?"

"If you believe the story, yes. People think that the creature Impa sealed away in the well is this man, who is looking for his eye now."

The boat hit the footbridge in front of them and stopped. "We're there."


	18. Chapter 18 Revelations

**Chapter 18 Revelations**

A blue light, a flash, and everything was silent again. Sheik was panting heavily next to him, his hand pressed against a bleeding wound. Link put his arm around Sheik's back and helped him getting up. The evil was gone, the temple cleansed, the sage awakened and both of them were hurt. Link carried him out of the temple, steadied him as they made their way through the graveyard, led him up the stairs to the house once built by Impa.

Link was thankful for the refuge this house offered for both of them and he made Sheik sit down on the bed. "Hold on, I will get something to clean your wounds."

Sheik leaned his back against the wall and removed his hand from the bleeding wound under his chest. It probably wasn't a deep cut but it was stinging and bleeding quite a lot.

Link soon came back with a bucket filled with water, a piece of cloth and some bandages he had found in one of the drawers. He sat down across the Sheikah and looked at him.

"Take this off, I'll take care of your wounds."

Sheik shook his head. "It is nothing, no need to take care of it."

"Shut up, Sheik, this is bleeding way too much." He made an attempt to grab his top but Sheik pushed him away. "No, really, it's ok."

Link raised an eyebrow and gave him a stringent look. "Don't be stupid, this is not just a papercut. It needs to be cleaned and bandaged. Look at yourself, I can see how much it hurts."

Sheik wanted to protest but Link cut him off. He was looking at him, his eyes showing both worry and determination and when their eyes met, Sheik's resistance broke. There was no longer a reason to be afraid of and he should trust him, even if it meant letting him see his face and no longer being able to hide his emotions.

Link grabbed the top of Sheik's clothes and carefully lifted it over his head, paying attention that he would not touch his wound and stripped off the tight fabric. When he reached out another time to remove the cowl, he halted. Was it really ok for Sheik if he unmasked him now? He searched for Sheik's eyes but he had turned away his face. His heart was beating faster when he finally decided to simply take it off. For a moment, he just stared at the Sheikah's face.

Sheik kept his gaze down and his face turned away. He felt ashamed, bare and unprotected. Link started cleaning his wound carefully. When he was done, he took the bandages and wrapped them around Sheik's waist.

"I'm done," he said softly.

Sheik finally lifted his head and looked at him. "Thanks." His voice was barely audible.

Link dropped the cloth into the bucket and held out his cowl to him, noticing his discomfort. The Sheikah took it thankfully and put it back on. A silent assuaged sigh escaped his lips when he felt the familiar soft fabric against his facial skin again. He wasn't ready for this, not yet.


	19. Chapter 19 The trap

**Chapter 19 The trap**

Dense clouds were once again hanging over the secret temple in the snow mountains as Sheik made his way through the snow covered forest. The cold wind was tearing at his clothes, crawled under his skin and made his eyes watery, causing his vision to blur. With the back of his hand, he wiped the liquid away and hid his face deeper under his cowl. The warmth from last night was gone, left was only he and his mission. Once again, he had heard Zelda call for him and though he had wanted nothing more than staying a little longer, he knew he could not decide on his own. He was indebted to her and would follow her orders.

She was already waiting for him at the entrance and touched his cold arm with her warm hand. "You should take care of yourself more." She faintly smiled at him.

"I'm sorry to have called you this time again." Her eyes wandered off to the grey walls around them. "It is time soon. I want you to take me back. I can no longer hide in this place. There is only one sage left. Is Link already on his way?"

Sheik nodded. "I sent him to the Gerudo valley. I will be his guide through the desert. Princess...are you sure you should go back already now?"

"I am not about to waste more time in these mountains. Take me to the old woman living near the ranch. She knows what to do."

Link sighed deeply while galloping over the vast plain of Hyrule. Sheik had left him already early this morning without giving any information about his destination. He still didn't trust him enough. In addition, Navi had decided to ignore him completely. She was always ahead of them, flying with the wind. Sometimes she was gone, but came back only to sit down as far away from Link as she possibly could.

The young Hylian didn't understand why she was mad at him again and this greenness of him enraged her even more. Sometimes she wondered why she even stayed with this childish, naive, insensitive dumbhead. Why she possibly could have fallen in love with someone like him. She shook her head and climbed inside a saddlebag where she sat down quietly and leaned her head against the leather for support. She pressed a hand on her chest as if to crush the pain in her heart but couldn't hold back the tears that burned in her eyes. Sometimes, she really hated him.

When they reached the rocky grounds of the valley, Sheik wasn't there yet. Link jumped off his horse, removed the tack and poured some water into a bowl for Epona. Sheik had told him to wait so he sat down and stretched his aching limbs. He would wait.

The Sheikah came to the valley two days later than he had planned. Taking the princess with him had slowed him down and he had to make sure she arrived safely in the old lady's house. His eyes scanned the landscape for Link and he found him leaning against a dead tree. He sighed relieved. Link had kept his promise to wait. The hero greeted him with a smile.

Sheik had not missed the fact that he was alone and when he asked him about the horse and the fairy, Link simply shrugged. "I wanted to see you alone."

He grabbed Sheik's hand and squeezed it. "I missed you," he whispered and pulled him into his arms.

The Sheikah's body tensed up and his hand automatically reached out for the dagger hidden underneath his bandages. He jumped away from him and when he looked into his eyes, he couldn't help but feeling strange. Something had changed; was it the way he looked at him? He stared back at him, one hand still resting on his weapon. Link looked at him puzzled and with a faint hurt on his face but did not say a thing.

"I...I am sorry Link. I'm not used to...intimacy. We should go now, the sage of the desert is waiting."

A sound of footsteps coming closer made him turn around. Two figures in black cloaks approached them and cut off the way. Link grabbed his wrists firmly and smiled. "We _will_ go, Sheikah." Sheik's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the mistake he had made. It was too late. The world went black when something hard hit his head and he became limp in Link's grip.


	20. Chapter 20 Aveil

**Chapter 20 Aveil **

The fortress reaching out before Link's eyes was huge. He craned his neck in order to see its whole dimension but it seemed impossible to catch it with a single glance. It was built of strong brick that swallowed every ray of sunlight. He gulped when the thought struck him, that Ganondorf had been born into this very fortress many years ago. He had heard a few stories about the Gerudo folk and none of them were very positive. Were they really responsible for everything that was happening in Hyrule right now? He couldn't imagine that a single folk, consisting only of women was able to evoke such a disaster.

The fairy popped out her head of the saddlebag and watched her companion with a mixture of anger and worry. They had been waiting for two days in the valley and at the wake of the third day, Link had decided they would move on without Sheik. She wasn't sure about the hero's feelings but his face had shown doubt. Doubt in the faith he had in the Sheikah. Maybe, this was his last mission alone and in these times, who could you really trust? She pulled herself together and climbed out of the bag. She joined Link and sat down on his shoulder.

"The desert is right beyond the fortress."

Link looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You're talking to me again?"

"I guess you're lost without my advice," she answered. The snippy tone in her voice was unmistakable.

"Fine, let's go."

She pulled at his hair to make him stop from simply walking into the danger. "Hey! You can't just walk past the fortress like you have all the time in the world!"

"How else am I supposed to get to the desert then?"

"Remember when you first visited princess Zelda in the backyard of the castle? Just try to hide and sneak past the guards."

Link took the rest of food and stuff they needed out of the saddlebag and put them into a cloth which he used as a bag to carry their belongings along. He caressed Epona's soft nose a last time and sighed. "Go Epona, this place is not safe for you." She whinnied softly and nudged his side before she trotted away. Navi flew ahead of him to check the situation and made a sign for him to follow her whenever she felt they were safe and unseen. They managed to sneak past the guards until they reached the back of the fortress. The desert was stretching out before them, vast and mysterious, dangerous and beautiful at the same time. "Come on, Link, we're almost there."

Link nodded and was about to move forward when a voice appeared behind him.

"Where are you going, young man?"

He pulled out his sword and faced the person behind him. It was a red-haired woman, dressed in purple, holding a sharp spear at him. Her golden eyes looked at him suspiciously. One by one, other guards gathered around them and soon Link was caught in the middle. "Did you think you could just walk past us without being unnoticed?" She laughed and a spear from behind pricked his back.

Link stared at them undecided. Should he try to fight or drop his sword? Were they even his enemies? A kick from behind in his knee bend relieved him of his decision and he fell down to the ground. "Throw him into the cell, I will tell Aveil of our discovery."

The Gerudo who had caught sight of him first went off into the forest and the other women dragged him along into the basement and threw him into one of the cells that were lined up. Before he could protest, they unarmed him and closed the door with a loud thump. The lights of the torches slowly faded away and then he was alone in the darkness.

"Shit!" he cursed and piled his fist against the cold wall. He couldn't believe that he actually got caught by a few women, after all he had been through. He could only hope that he could persuade them to let him go soon or that Sheik would find him. His brows furrowed when he thought about the Sheikah. He hadn't come when he had promised, so why would he come this time? Maybe his first impression had been right; maybe he had been wrong to trust him. He shook his head in order to get rid of the thoughts in his head. He had other things to worry about now.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he saw light flooding the dark basement again. He lifted his head and peered out of the cell. The same guards were walking towards his cell, led by another Gerudo in red velvet clothes. Unlike the guards, her clothes were of much more value, decorated with golden ornaments around her waist, arms and ankles. They matched her eye colour and her make up. She stopped in front of his cell and pushed the door open. The guards stayed outside while she closed in on the hero. He eyeballed her closely. The most striking difference between the Gerudo and the Hylian women probably were the short, rounded ears and the tanned skin. Their faces were not as soft as a woman's face usually should be and the eyes were much narrower. All in all, they did not seem weak the least but despite these characteristics, Link had to admit that the red-clothed Gerudo in front of him was quite pretty.

He slowly got up to face her.

"Why didn't you tell me that he's so handsome?" she said, "he might be a good match, unlike the ugly men that usually dare to show up in our fortress." She couldn't hold back a giggle.

"What's your name, boy?"

He crossed his arms, pretending not to have heard what she said before. "My name is Link."

"Link you say? What a cute name." She grinned and he could hear the guards outside chuckle. "What is your business here?"

"I need to go to the desert," he answered.

"The desert? What would someone like you want from the desert?"

"This is not your cup of coffee."

"Oh yes, it is. You are going nowhere if I don't allow you so you better tell me why you want to visit the wastelands."

Link kept his arms crossed and remained silent. If they wanted the information, they had to beat it out of him.

"Take him to my chambers!" she ordered. "We'll see if he's going to talk or not."

The guards dragged him out of the cell and all the way up to the Gerudo leader's chambers. They pushed him inside and once again closed the door behind him. He sighed. Luckily they hadn't been able to catch the fairy and he hoped she would be able to find someone who would help him out of here. He looked around the room. It was decorated with red and golden draperies hanging from the ceiling. A few pots filled with sand stood around on the floor and the scent of incense sticks was floating in the air. A small metal table with an oval mirror stood on the left side, a huge bed was positioned in the middle and many red, purple and golden cushions were scattered around the floor. The sun shone through the round window and was reflected by the golden draperies, flooding the room with a warm, golden light. He moved over to the table with the mirror and took a close look. His skin had become a little tanned, making his blue eyes standing out even more. Yet, it wasn't the only reason why he looked different; he seemed to have grown older both physically and mentally. When he turned away from the mirror, he realised that he wasn't alone anymore.

"Sit down, Link. And allow me to ask you some questions."

The Hylian hesitantly sat down on one of the cushions and watched as the woman in front of him did the same.

"My name is Aveil. I am the second leader of the Gerudo. As you may have noticed, our tribe consists only of women, except the great Ganondorf, so we're not used to having men around here."

Link stared at her when she mentioned Ganondorf's name. How could she call someone as dastard as him the _great_ Ganondorf? However he kept quiet and let her continue.

"Sometimes men visit our fortress because they think we are weak. They think they can simply come and choose one of our girls for marriage. Ridiculous! However, I feel that you are different and telling the truth. But I have to ask you again: What is your business in the wastelands?"

She sighed when she still didn't receive an answer and stood up.

"We protect the desert from outsiders, it is our duty. Not many Hylians have crossed these lands and most of them never came back. It is a dangerous place." She looked at him. "We might not be enemies, Link," she added as if to persuade him that he should finally speak up.

"Ganondorf is the king of your tribe, how could we possibly not be enemies?" he said in a hostile tone.

"Ganondorf? He is a fool! He has lost his sanity because of the Triforce." There was regret in her voice as she went on. "He once was a great king. But he was driven too much by the lust for power. He should have been satisfied with being king of the Gerudo but he was looking for more. His foster mothers, the evil witches, have cursed the spirit temple in the middle of the desert after he and his minions used it as a hide-out."

Their eyes met for a moment. "It is the temple you are seeking, right?"

He nodded. Something about her made him believe the stories about the Gerudo were not true.

"Our leader, Nabooru, went to the temple but she hasn't returned yet. She wanted to stop Ganondorf but no one knows what really happened. Link, I don't know what your business is in the temple but if I lead you the way, can you find out about Nabooru?"

Link's eyes suddenly glowed as a smile formed on his face. "I will," he promised.

"We will set out in the morning. But first, you should take a bath." She winked at him.

The Gerudo guard led Link to another room with a huge bathtub in the middle. The room itself was decorated in the same colours than Aveil's chambers. When he was alone, he took off his clothes and put them aside. With one foot, he checked the water temperature, then sat down in the hot water. He couldn't help but let out a soft moan when he leaned back and closed his eyes for it felt so good. His stiff muscles finally got a chance to relax and he spread out his limbs.

He left the tub when the water had cooled down and realised his clothes were gone. He looked around for a towel, but there was none. Dumbfounded, he stood in the middle of the room and didn't know what to do. He couldn't just walk out there naked. Besides, he was the only man among women – and there were many.

There was a short knock on the door, followed by a few young Gerudo who entered the piece. Link quickly covered his crotch with both hands and stared at them. They stared back and blushed. Never before had they seen a naked man and now a very handsome one was standing before them. One of the girls turned away her gaze as she handed him over a towel. Another one of the girls put down folded clothes on a chair.

"Please wear this, your clothes are being washed." She bowed to him politely and the three of them hurried to get out. Link could hear them giggle behind the door and sighed deeply. He dried his body and put on the wide trousers. They were black with golden and red ornaments. He didn't find a top. Apparently the Gerudo didn't like wearing too much. When he put on the pointed shoes, he wished he had a mirror to look at himself. He was sure he looked ridiculous.

Aveil was waiting for him in the huge dining room of the fortress. She was sitting at the end of the table and smiled when he entered. "You look gorgeous! Wouldn't you want to join the Gerudo?" She smirked. "Now, let's sit down and eat, you must be hungry." She invited him to sit down next to her and another young woman filled his plate with meat, vegetable and couscous. It looked delicious and Link's stomach started to growl, reminding him he hadn't eaten properly for a few days. No matter how hostile the Gerudo had been when they caught him, they were the best hosts he had ever encountered. And good cooks as well.

With a full stomach and a satisfied look on his face, the blond followed Aveil to his bedroom. They both entered and Aveil sat down on the bed next to him. She let her eyes travel over his exposed chest and face. "You know, I wasn't joking when I offered you to become one of us. You're courageous and strong. You could be our king. Besides, you are really good-looking." She smiled and touched his chest with her hands.

He looked at her, irritated. What was she talking about?

She pushed him down on the bed and sat down on his legs. "You could have all of us."

"What...do you mean?" His voice sounded nervous.

She ran her hands over his chest and stomach and bent down, her impressive breasts in front of his eyes and ignored his question. Her lips touched his neck and her hand disappeared under his loose trousers, realising he was wearing nothing underneath them.

"Ah...stop this!" He pushed her off him and jumped out of bed. She sat up and looked at him.

"What a pity." She got off the bed as well. "I will wait for you at the entrance of the wastelands tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

He waited until she was gone and flopped down on the bed. Gerudo women definitely _were_ dangerous. He blew out the candles and lied down in bed, eyes on the dark ceiling. His thoughts wandered off to Sheik and bothered him once again. He missed him.


	21. Chapter 21 The haunted wastelands

**Chapter 21 The haunted wastelands**

The young hero left the fortress in the morning and saw Aveil leaning against a pole that marked the entry of the desert. She had been waiting for him and greeted him as he walked up to her. "Are you ready?"

He nodded. Together they passed the gate and stepped out into the sand. One last time, he turned around and wondered where Navi had gone.

He was relieved to feel the familiar weight of the shield and sword on his back again. It somehow gave him a feeling of security. He followed Aveil silently through the masses of hot sand. The sun was like a burning hot orange ball that someone had suspended from the blue ceiling. There was no tree, no rock, nothing that would spend some shade and Link felt the sweat running down his chest and legs as he made his way through the desert, although he wasn't wearing his usual clothes. One of the young Gerudo girls had given him a loose white shirt and trousers of the same fabric and it made the heat a little more bearable even though it was still incredibly hot. He almost wished he had put on his heat-resistant tunic.

He realised that he would have never been able to find the temple without a guide. Everywhere he turned, there was nothing but sand. How did they manage to find the way when there was nothing to really hold on to? He looked at Aveil; she seemed full of energy, not the least tired or melting into a pool of sweat like him.

When they arrived at a rock formation, she finally let them take a break. Link leaned against one of the rocks and groaned. His mouth was dry and he was looking for something to drink. He fiddled about in of the bags they brought and pulled out a bottle which he opened and put to his lips.

"Be careful with the water, don't drink too much at once or you will run out of it soon."

Aveil had been watching him from the side.

It cost him a big effort to stop after only a few mouthfuls but he put back the bottle in the bag soon.

"How long are we going to be travelling through this hell?" he whined.

"We should arrive tomorrow at noon. We must spend the night in the open desert, but I know a place where we are at least a little more protected."

Link stood up. "Fine, let's get going then. I can't wait to finally see the temple."

Aveil gave him an amusing look and rose to her feet. "Alright then."

The place Aveil had been talking about came into sight when the sun was setting. It was nothing more than another rock formation with some sort of small cave. It wasn't much but it would provide at least a little shelter. The Gerudo sat down and took out a few covers from her bag, as well as a bottle of water and dried meat, which she handed over to Link.

He took them gratefully and started chewing on one of the meat pieces. His gaze wandered off to the dark sky and for the first time after a very long time, he could see the stars again. Even though the desert was a pain in the ass during the daytime, it was breathtakingly beautiful at night.

His eyes went back to Aveil. "Why is it called haunted wastelands?"

She returned his gaze. "At night, the spirits of the dead are roaming through the desert. They can trick you if you let them. That is why so many people who came here never returned. They became victims of their magic and followed them into the depths of the desert. Usually, they appear around midnight and stay until the sun rises again. When those men realised they were in danger, it was already too late. They got lost and died here."

Link shuddered. It made him think of Sheik who had become a victim of similar hallucinations. And there he was again. Would he ever get him out of his mind?

"Who are you thinking about?" Aveil's question jerked him out of his thoughts.

"No one particular," he lied.

"A girl?"

He shook his head. Even though he trusted her, he would not reveal his worries to her. "We should get some sleep." He took one of the blankets and wrapped them around his body. He lied down and used one of the bags as a support for his head. And as he was lying there and stared into the sky, he thought of his companions who were missing. Sheik, Navi and even Epona. He just hoped that they were alright. He closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber.

A light touch on his cheek woke him up and when he opened his eyes, he was still greeted by darkness. He looked around, but there was nothing to be seen. He was about to lie back down when he heard a woman sing. It was a sad song and the voice was accompanied by a harp. He slowly rose to his feet and stepped out in the sand. The sounds were so close, they couldn't be far away. He looked back at Aveil who was still deep asleep and started walking. His heart was beating faster as he followed the music into the depths of the sand. What if Sheik had finally come? He was the only person he had ever seen with a harp and he knew he used to play it when he was alone. Strangely, he didn't seem to catch him. He continued following the music but it never got louder and no one ever came into sight. He didn't know how long he had been walking when his foot suddenly hit something hard on the ground. It was a skull.

Link suddenly came back to his senses. How could he have been so careless after everything Aveil had told him about the desert? He turned around and looked into every direction, but there was nothing but sand. Panic started rising in him.

"Didn't I tell you it was not safe to follow the spirits?"

He turned around and stared at Aveil who was standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"Aveil! You found me!"

"I followed you. Did you really think I didn't know this would be happening? Men are all the same!" She rolled her eyes. "Let's go back and get some sleep. I should have really tied you up."


	22. Chapter 22 The Goddess of the Sand

**Chapter 22 The Goddess of the Sand**

"We are there."

Given the fact that a huge statue stretched out before their eyes, this was quite a superficial information. The statue was made of ancient golden sand; a sort of sand that was as resistant as stone. The deity towered over the small entrance of the temple and held out both arms which were both bigger than Link himself. It was a female god. One breast was covered and decorated with a star, the other one was bare.

"This temple was once built by the Gerudo in order to worship the goddess of the sand. If one of us becomes pregnant, we come to the temple to pray and if birth is near, we bring the future mothers to the temple where they give birth to their children. They stay here for several weeks with a few priestesses before they return to the fortress. The goddess is guarding them and brings good fortune," Aveil explained proudly.

"I thought you said the temple has been cursed?"

"It is, indeed. No one of us, except Nabooru, has visited this place for a long time. However, given the current situation, there hasn't been a pregnant Gerudo for some time now. It is hard to ensure the existence of our folk if there are no descendants."

Link looked at her. He understood now why Aveil had wanted him so badly to become one of them. He should have provided babies.

"Well then, young hero. Good luck and remember, if you see Nabooru somewhere, tell her to come back to the fortress, aye?"

Link stretched his shoulders and nodded. "I promise." And then he disappeared into the temple.

Unlike the last temple he had visited, the spirit temple was rather friendly. The sun was shining through many windows and gave him a feeling of hope. Although the air was old and dry, breathing did not cause him any problem. A faint smell of incense sticks was lingering in the air. As a bonus, it was cool inside and not as sticky as outside in the sand. The main hall of the temple was consisting of another huge statue of the same goddess and many doors and stairs led from that hall into other, much smaller rooms. They probably had been built for the pregnant women or simply to hide treasures that the thieves had stolen from other people.

However, most of the rooms were empty; either there had never been anything inside or Ganondorf had already plundered everything. When he opened the last door, it was empty as well apart from a knight in shiny armour. Link instinctively grabbed his sword tight and approached the knight, but he was neither moving nor did he seem to be alive. Link examined the armour. It was made of a shiny material which reflected the sun like it was made of gold. He eagerly lifted the slit of the helmet to look inside and cried out in surprise when the knight raised a hand. He jumped back and tightened the grip on his sword. The knight made a grunting sound as he stood up and grabbed a huge axe, swinging it around as if it weighed nothing. The heavy armour enabled the creature to only move forward very slowly, but the reach of the axe was dangerous. If Link got hit by it, he sure would take much damage. So he simply tried to stay away and attack him from behind. Rolling over the floor, he eventually managed to run behind him and strike his back. His sword hit the metal and cut through the laces that tied the heavy front part of the armour. It fell down with a loud sound. The knight swung his axe another time, hit the pillar next to Link and smashed it into pieces. Link saved himself before they crashed down on him and watched with horror as the knight stood up and closed in on him. Without the heavy part of the armour tied to his chest, he might have been more vulnerable but it had also slowed him down in first place. Now, he was fast.

Link ducked away as the axe almost crashed down on him and used the opportunity to let his sword collide with the arm that held the axe. The knight cried out in pain and dropped his weapon to the floor. Link stared at him from a safe distance. What he had heard was the scream of a woman. He watched as the knight suddenly removed the armour and gasped when a Gerudo surfaced under the heavy layers. She was panting and put her hand on her hurt arm. Her head turned to Link.

"Where am I? And who are you?"

Link made a few steps forward and stepped out of the shadow and into the light.

"Are you Nabooru?"

Her eyes widened at hearing her own name from a stranger. "I am. Are you one of Ganondorf's minions?"

He shook his head. "My name is Link, I a..."

"The hero?" she cut him off. "Listen, there is not much time even though I would be pleased to get to know you, but we must hurry. The evil witches have caught and brainwashed me. They will probably be here soon. Will you help me killing them?"

Link grabbed his sword tighter. Nabooru smiled when she saw the determined look on his face. "Come with me, there is something you will need in order to defeat them." She took his hand and led him out of the room into a small passage. She went over to a statue of a cobra and pulled at it until it moved. Under the statue there was a hollow and she took out what had been hidden underneath. She handed it over to him.

Link removed the cloth that was wrapped around and blinked when strong light shone on his face.

"It is a shield made of mirrors that will never break. It can reflect anything. Use it with care. I will take your current shield."

"...What? Don't look at me like that, I'm going to give it back to you", she pouted.

They returned to the main hall together and Nabooru pointed at a huge cobra statue that was hidden in the shadows. "The entry to the witches' room is inside its mouth. Find it."

Before she could say anything else, the ground started to vibrate and a circle of magic

formed on the red tiles. Link jumped away as two witches emerged from the circle. They were indeed old and quite repulsive. "Tehehe, look what we found, Koume," said the witch whose head ended in a block of ice. "I believe it is a rebel Gerudo we have seen before, Kotake," replied the one with the fiery hair.

"And what else do my old eyes see, Koume?"

"I believe it is a handsome young man we haven't seen before, Kotake."

They surrounded Link on their brooms and giggled. The hero made a few step backwards. They were not only evil but also quite mad as well.

Kotake let go off him and flew towards Nabooru instead. "You silly girl, did you think you could break our spell without us noticing it?"

Nabooru's eyes narrowed. "I will kill you old ugly witches!"

Koume joined her sister and laughed. "Always those rebels. We should teach her a lesson, Kotake."

"We should, Koume."

They reached out their hands and a bolt of fire and ice shot through the air. Link heard Nabooru scream but it was too late to help her; the sorceresses were already carrying her away. They disappeared into the magic circle and before Link could do anything to stop them, they were gone. He looked at the cobra statue. The head of the snake was way too high for him to reach it like that so he had to think of a solution quickly.


	23. Chapter 23 Bare

**Chapter 23 Bare**

When Sheik opened his eyes again, he felt a stabbing pain in his head. It was completely dark around him except a few torches that merely lit a part of the room. When he tried to move his arm, he realised that his body had been tied to the wall. Panic rose in him as he noticed that his cowl was gone. His hair was dangling loosely onto his face and he felt metal against his skin. He was naked.

"Finally awake?"

He jerked his head to the side. The false hero was sitting on a stair and watched him.

"You had quite a deep sleep." He smirked and walked up to him. "You have a beautiful face, why did you never show it before?"

Sheik turned his head away from him and stared at the dark wall. "My other half has a good taste, he should give in to his lust. Oh, what a pity he's not here. Maybe I should do it for him?" He let his hand glide up his naked thigh.

"Don't touch me you bastard," Sheik hissed.

"I'm not sure if you're in the right position to tell me what I should do or not." He ran his hands over the Sheikah's body and nibbled on his neck.

He lifted his head when he heard a door at the end of the corridor. "He's coming."

Link opened the heavy door and slammed it behind him. He was breathing heavily. He still couldn't believe he managed to climb all the way up to the mouth of the cobra but there he was. He stopped a moment to catch his breath, then walked through the corridor towards the door. When he opened it, he immediately sensed that there was something wrong. The room was only sparsely lit by a few torches and made it hard to perceive anything, even as he made his way through it.

"I have been waiting for you, hero."

Link turned around hastily at the sound of the voice. He knew this voice way too well; it was his own. Only now he saw the naked, tied up person hanging on the wall.

"Sheik!" He felt his heart hammering in his chest as he approached them. His clone licked his lower lip. "Isn't he hot? Have you ever seen him naked?" He touched Sheik's stomach and let his hand glide down slowly.

"Don't touch him or I'll kill you!"

His hand glided down between his legs. "Oh really? I was thinking almost the same."

"Why are you here?" Link's eyes narrowed.

His copy let go of the Sheikah and walked towards him. "Because I have fulfilled my mission. Well, almost. There can be only one of us so I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

He took out his sword.

Facing himself turned out to be Link's biggest nightmare. They were even in terms of fighting skills and strength. And every move they made was foreseen by the other. They were fighting senselessly for what seemed an eternity.

Sheik was still hanging on the wall and could do nothing to help Link. His pitiful figure reflected in the shield as the hero held it high. He turned his face away in shame and his gaze fell onto the torch.

"Link! Use your shield."

The hero turned his head to Sheik and comprehended the hint he had been given. He jumped away as the blade of his clone almost split his arm in two and held the shield into the air. The light of the fire reflected on his shield and he let the ray of light shine onto his opponent's face. Blinded by the strong light, he stumbled forward and Link didn't hesitate for a second. With one swift move the thrust the blade of the master sword into his clone's chest and it pierced his heart.

He coughed and spit out blood while lifting his head to look at the real hero. "There can be only one...only the original...you did well...Link." His body fell to the floor as he breathed out life.

Link was still standing there with shaking hands. Staring at his own reflection made him think of what he'd look like if he died. He turned his face away and hurried to the wall where Sheik was still tied up. He swallowed upon seeing him being so humiliated. He cut through the chains and caught him in his arms as his body lost balance.

They simply stood like that for a few minutes until Link released him. "I have yet another battle to fight. Pull this over." He removed the long top he was wearing and handed it over to Sheik.


	24. Chapter 24 Buried under golden sand

**Chapter 24 Buried under golden sand**

Beams of red fire and crystal ice struck the sand walls over and over again as the three fighters tried to flee from the attacks the witches threw at them. Link quickly rolled over when the wall behind him quivered. Nabooru swung her double glaives and blocked a further attack from Koume. Her swords seem to glow at the extreme heat they had to face and Nabooru had to drop them as the pain in her hand became unbearable.

Link instinctively raised his shield when another ice attack hit him. He felt the immense force of the ice beam against his shield but he held it with both hands. The attack pushed him backwards but he kept remaining on his feet. And just when he thought he couldn't endure the pressure any longer, it broke and the ice was sent back to the witches. It hit Koume hard and she almost fell of her broom but given the fact that she was a fiery person, the ice melted at the contact of her hair. She cried out in anger when she had found back her balance. Nabooru made a few steps back when she saw the rage in the witches' eyes. "Watch out, Link! They are combining their forces!" She grabbed her glaives and the Hylian shield she had taken from Link earlier.

Link watched as the witches circled around each other until they had merged together in a ring of fire and ice. Bolts of both elements chased through the air and struck everything that was in their way. Sparks fell down like rain and the room trembled fiercely.

"We have to get out of here! This temple is going to collapse!"

Link barely heard Sheik's warning voice but he recognized that he was right. The walls that were made of golden sand wouldn't withstand the powerful attacks of the witches any longer and if they didn't make it out in time, they would be buried under masses of sand. Nabooru pointed at a crack in one of the walls. "Hurry!"

They ran as fast as they could and one after the other crawled through the hole. They had barely made it out of the temple and into the sand when the building started to crash down. Masses of sand fell down like a cascade and buried everything underneath them. Nabooru stared at the destructive scene before her eyes in shock. The temple and the goddess of sand her tribe had worshipped for so many centuries was gone. Completely destroyed.

Sheik winced at the pain under his feet. The sand was burning hot and he had nothing to cover his bare feet. And they had yet to cross the desert to get back to the Gerudo fortress.

"I will carry you," Link offered, though it sounded more like an order rather than a suggestion. He handed the shield over to Nabooru and let the Sheikah climb on his back. Although Sheik protested, he had no other option. They travelled through the desert for two days until the fortress finally came into sight.

Link's back was aching from the constant weight but he wouldn't complain. He had let Sheik run into trouble once and he would not do it again.

Sheik had been extremely quiet ever since Link had battled his evil twin. Even now that they were in safety in the cosy rooms of the fortress, he didn't talk. Link had watched him with worry but he didn't want to be obtrusive. He would give him time if he needed it.

They were both wearing the Gerudo garb and he silently admired how well it fit the slender Sheikah.

However Sheik was everything but happy. The incidents had broken down his pride and self-esteem. He had been a fool to trust the clone. He had not sensed any danger. His feelings for Link were messing him up completely and even blinded him to see the dangers. He had been stripped off his clothes and his cowl, leaving him bare to not only his enemies but also to everyone else. And he couldn't help but blame Link for all of this and having to admit that he needed his help was more than he could bear at the moment. He had always been a person who didn't depend on anyone and he hated to see it change. His inner voice told him to run away and return to the shadows but he knew he couldn't go until Ganondorf was defeated. He got up from the bed and moved over to the balcony. He needed some space for himself.

A knock on the door interrupted Link's thoughts and he stood up to open the door. Aveil was standing before him and held a bottle into the air.

"Does this fairy belong to you?" she asked.

"Navi!"

"We found her slinking around this place like a cat. She wouldn't shut up so I put her in this bottle."

"Please release her, she's a friend of mine."

Aveil threw the bottle at him and he caught it in his hands. "Do whatever you like with her. By the way, thank you for saving Nabooru. She went to the sacred realm. She was quite astonished when she learned that she was one of the sages. A thief like her!" She laughed cheerfully. "The Gerudo will have to restore the temple and it will probably take a lot of time. But thanks to you, the witches are finally gone. You really are a hero."

She bent slightly forward. "I really like you, Link." Their eyes locked and Link sensed the sincerity behind these words.


	25. Chapter 25 The seventh sage

**Chapter 25 The seventh sage**

They had left the fortress on horseback and were heading into the direction of Ganondorf's castle. The time for the last battle was drawing closer and the tension was even visible in nature. Although Sheik was still in his company, they didn't talk much. And even if they glanced at each other quite often, no one of them made a move. Navi seemed to be able to control her jealousy better. The time she had spent alone without Link had given her many opportunities to think about her feelings for him and she had come to the conclusion that they would have never become lovers, even if there was no one else. Link was a human and she was not and it was obvious that he would fall in love with another human and not with a tiny fairy.

They spend their nights in the shelter of a few trees or rocks and kept watch by turns.

Sheik watched as the sky became darker the closer they came to castle town. Pitch black clouds were hovering over the black tower that stuck out like a threatening weapon.

Link had noticed the change as well. The clouds obscured even the last ray of sunlight.

"I wonder what is happening in there..." Navi said. She spoke out what everyone was thinking. A drop of water landed on Link's forehead and he lifted his gaze to the sky. "Looks like it is going to rain very soon," he stated.

Sheik's eyes narrowed. "I'd rather say it's going to be a heavy storm. We should hurry to find shelter somewhere."

Link led Epona into a narrow path. If they were lucky, they'd make it to the farm before the storm started.

However it seemed that luck was not on their side. Already a few minutes after they had decided to make a detour, the sky started growling. A few lights appeared between the clouds and when the clouds broke, heavy rain splashed down on them. Epona started galloping and Navi hid under Link's tunic but they couldn't avoid getting wet. The ground was already slippery and Epona had a hard time finding her balance. Link decided it would be best if they went on by foot and he jumped off the horse, followed by Sheik.

It was the Sheikah who suddenly spotted an old, abandoned barn. He pointed at the building and shouted against the wind: "Let's go in there, the farm is still too far away!"

Link nodded and the four of them headed to the barn. The door opened with a creaking sound and they hurried inside. It was warm and dry but quite dark. Link released Epona of her tack and put it aside. He took out the content of the saddlebags and placed them on the hay to let them dry.

Sheik sat down on the hay and straw and wrung out his wet hair. They were soaked to the bones and it was an unpleasant feeling. Link joined him and sat down.

"Quite a storm, huh?"

Sheik nodded. The wind was hammering against the old wooden doors and walls but they showed resistance. An awkward silence settled between them. Link watched him out of the corner of his eye, unsure of what to do.

"We should take this off if we don't want to catch a cold."

"Yeah..."

"I have some warm blankets. I will get them."

He made an attempt to stand up but Sheik got a hold of his tunic. Link gave him a questioning look but Sheik kept him there. Puzzled, the Hylian sat back down and looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I...I am sorry for being rude with you."

Link's lips curved into a smile but it was barely visible in the darkness of the barn.

"I don't blame you. It was me who let you run into danger, so if anyone was to apologise, that would be me."

Sheik neither said anything nor relaxed his grip. He knew that this was their last night together, the last time before they would be separated forever. But why did this thought fill him with an uncomfortable feeling all of a sudden? Why did he even care? He never cared before.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sheik's eyes turned back to Link and he finally let go of his arm. "Nothing."

The latter chuckled softly. "You're a bad liar, do you know that?"

He leaned back and sighed. "This is the last night before the great battle, right?" He didn't voice the last part but it was clear that he was thinking the same than Sheik. He turned his head back to the other blond. "Can I ask one last thing of you?"

The other man returned his gaze. "What is it?"

"Can I see your face one last time?"

Sheik went silent but after a moment, he pulled down his cowl.

"It's a pity you always hide your face. It's actually really pretty," Link said and was thankful for the darkness when he felt the blood rush into his cheeks.

He had barely finished his sentence when he suddenly felt the Sheikah's face close to his own, his warm breath ghosting over his skin. His heart skipped a beat when the small distance between their lips was replaced by an intimate proximity, warm lips brushing against his own. A small wave of helplessness washed over him when he realised that he didn't know how to kiss but Sheik made it easy for him to simply follow. His body soon moved of its own volition as shivers ran down his spine and a tingling sensation started spreading in his stomach. He pulled him closer to his body, his thigh awkwardly placed between the Sheikah's legs.

Sheik let out a groan when his tongue finally found its way into Link's hot mouth and he enjoyed his taste, deepening their kiss with every minute. His hips jerked forward and he unconsciously pressed his crotch against the thigh. Until now, he had never known that he could be so needy.

The still wet fabric was clinging to their bodies and they only broke their kisses to help each other taking off their clothes slowly. Sheik was the first one to be fully naked. Goose bumps appeared on his cold skin but he ignored them. His fingers grabbed the waistband of Link's trousers and pulled them down. It was the first time he saw the hero naked and he blushed a little. He wrapped his arms around his back and lied down into the hay, pulling Link with him. Their bodies touched and both enjoyed the feeling of skin on skin. Link's damp hair left a small trace on Sheik's tanned skin as he kissed his way down to his chest and stomach. He erased the thoughts of incertitude and continued feeling the body underneath him. The last nights had been filled with dreams of the Sheikah; dreams that left him longing for more once he woke up. Sheik's body, in return, reacted to his touches and drew them closer together. Unknown feelings of pleasures rippled through his body and he shoved away any feelings of doubt. He _wanted _this.

A thin ray of sunlight shone down on their faces when morning had come. Sheik slowly woke up and opened his eyes. He was still naked and lying in Link's arms, the blankets covering their bodies. He turned his head to look at the other man and sighed soundlessly. They had to get up. Soon, they would meet the princess and prepare for the last battle. And after the dark lord was sealed away, they would have to separate. He pushed away the blanket and reluctantly got up, looking for his clothes that were scattered on the hay. He quickly put them on and woke up Link. "We have to go."

Link stroke the back of Epona's nose one last time. "This is no place for you. Go back to the ranch."

The horse nudged his cheek and blew hot air into his hair. She whinnied softly, then turned around and ran back to the farm. Sheik placed a hand on Link's shoulder as he watched the horse slowly vanish into the distance.

They were at the end of the drawbridge that separated the once lively castle town from the plains of Hyrule. Link still remembered the piercing screams of the redead, but when they crossed the deserted place, there was none of those creatures to be seen. They were gone. The entry to the temple of time was open to Link's surprise and he walked in cautiously. Sheik was on alert too. Someone was standing next to the three spiritual stones with their back turned to them.

"I've been waiting for you. Link. Sheik."

The person turned around. It was Zelda.

Link's eyes widened upon seeing her. "Zelda! You are alive."

She smiled and approached them gracefully. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

"I had to hide from Ganondorf. Seven long years, I was waiting for this very moment. I never had any doubts that you would make it this far."

Link turned his head for Sheik but his companion had gone.

"He is waiting outside," Zelda answered Link's mute question. "Come with me, I have to explain a few things to you." She led him to the pedestal of time.

"I was hiding in a secret temple in the snow mountains. Impa brought me there after we fled from the castle seven years ago. On the same day I gave you the ocarina."

Link instinctively took the small instrument out of his pocket.

"You still have it? I'm happy. Can I have it back?" She reached out a hand and Link reluctantly let it drop into her hand.

"When you opened the entry to the sacred realm, Ganondorf managed to usurp the Triforce. However, what he did not know, was that the Triforce would break into three pieces. What was left, was only one fragment that he could hold. It is the fragment of power; the trait he identifies with the most. However, the other fragments were passed on two other individuals." She paused for a moment and took Link's hand in hers. When they touched, he could feel a prickling feeling in his hand and arm. Something was glowing beneath his gauntlet and when Zelda took it off, he could see a golden triangle on his skin. It was glowing as he held her hand and he noticed another triangle on the back of her hand as well. "It is us, Link. You're the holder of the Triforce of courage and I bear the Triforce of wisdom. I am the seventh sage and the leader of them all. This is our battle, no one else would be able to win it."


	26. Chapter 26 The northern tower

**Chapter 26 The northern tower**

When they left the cathedral, Link's eyes scanned the area but Sheik was gone. He was about to call his name when Zelda tugged at his sleeve. "We must go now. Sheik will be fine by himself." Link nodded but the princess' voice didn't seem to be capable of erasing his worries. Memories of the spirit temple returned before his inner eye and he swallowed down the knot that suddenly formed in his throat. They reached the abyss that separated the dreary castle from the ground they were standing on. Red and orange streams of hot lava were flowing in a circle around the black building and Link could feel the burning heat under his feet. He looked around but there was no way to cross the abyss, no bridge leading to the castle. "How are we supposed to make it to the other side?" Link muttered. Zelda raised her arms in the air. "Sages, lend me your power!"

Link took a step back when he felt the immense energy of the six sages floating in the air. The princess still stood there with her hands in the air wearing a rigid look on her face. When the lights died down and the air stopped pulsating, Link dared to breath again. Zelda slowly let her arms down and turned around to him. "We can go now." The hero gave her an irritated look. "I can't see anything!"

"Don't let yourself be fooled by what you see or do not see. Trust your other senses." She smiled and reached out for his hand. It was warm and delicate but she had a firm grip. Together they took the invisible passage over the fiery abyss and Link kept his eyes glued to her back in order to avoid looking down into the magma.

The castle itself was not very broad but high in altitude. From the main entrance led only a few doors to different rooms and a huge staircase to the other levels. The floor was covered with a red carpet and stood in contrast with the black walls. A hostile aura compassed the Hylians and Zelda instinctively pulled her short jacket tighter around her body. She took a deep breath. "I can feel him up there. He is in the northern tower. We should get going and take the stairs."

The dark lord himself was resting in his chair and ran his finger over his chin while he observed his servant standing by the windowsill. "Quite impressive that this lad made it up till here." He got up and walked over to the same window following the other man's gaze. Underneath them the dark land with the orange liquid stretched out before his eyes. This was his land; his castle he had built up in only a short time. He felt the other two remaining pieces of the Triforce closing in on him and this put a smile on his face. Those fragments would be his in less than a few hours. He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out another black robe. "I guess it's time I change. I must look decent when my guests arrive." The servant nodded and finally left his position by the window. He walked up to his master, removed his clothes and helped him into his new outfit. Everything was ready.


	27. Chapter 27 Betrayal

**Chapter 27 Betrayal**

Ganondorf was sitting behind a huge organ when Link pushed open the heavy door to the northern tower. The imposing music stopped when both Hylians entered the room and Ganondorf slowly stood up and turned around. "Welcome, princess Zelda and you, Link. I have been waiting for you," he greeted them politely. Zelda gnashed her teeth in anger and disgust but she remained silent. "You will pay for everything you did to my country and people," she said coldly but Ganondorf only laughed out loud. "Well then. I can't wait to finally get back my lost two fragments of the Triforce."

They followed the dark lord downstairs and out of the tower. A broad platform served as a balcony but Link soon realised that it had been specially built for its last purpose: the final battle between him and his enemy.

"To make it fair, I engaged another fighter. Not that I would need him but I thought this would take our last fight to a whole new level." Ganondorf grinned. "I want to introduce you to my new servant."

A smaller figure appeared behind him dressed in black tight clothes. His face and hair was covered with black cloth leaving visible nothing but a pair of piercing eyes.

They were red.

Link almost dropped his sword when his opponent moved closer. He knew these eyes and he knew he could not be mistaken. "Sheik..." he whispered soundlessly. Even Zelda seemed confused and Navi warned Link that the Sheikah probably had been brainwashed. Ganondorf still stood at the end of the platform and crossed his arms. "Let the fun begin!"

Link was barely able to react before Sheik's blade cut through the fabric of his tunic. It was sharp as no other blade he had felt before and blood started to tint the green cloth with a deep crimson. Link jumped backwards and held his shield tightly in his hand, but he knew he would not fight. Sheik was fast and dangerous; he had learned that some time ago but Sheik had always fought on his side and not against him. Now, they were enemies and he could do nothing but try to withstand his attacks. Sheik's blade hit the Hylian shield again and again and he even managed to cut through Link's clothes a few times. Link's arm hurt from holding up the shield and feeling the hard blows but he kept his position. If Sheik had been brainwashed, he wasn't acting on his free will and there was no way Link would hurt him. He had to find a solution.

"You have to bring him back to his senses!" Zelda shouted from somewhere behind. With Link's concentration distracted only for a second, Sheik was able to jump at the hero and pin him to the ground. Link lost his balance and soon felt the pointed end of the sword against his throat. His eyes searched for the red ones and he tried to find anything that would give him a hint that all of this was only show. However, there was nothing. Nothing but the same stern and piercing glance he had seen so many times before. "Sheik! It's me, Link! Please come to your senses!" he pleaded.

"I know perfectly well what I am doing," Sheik replied. He slowly got up from Link and removed the black cloth around his head and face. His lips curved into a smile. "Get up and fight, hero."

A pain shot through Link's body as he stared at the other man. This nightmare could not be true. He slowly rose to his feet and grabbed his sword tighter. If Sheik really had betrayed him, then there was nothing holding him back anymore. He heard Ganondorf laugh somewhere behind him. So this was all made up. Ganondorf had planned all of this already long ago. He gritted his teeth in anger and narrowed his eyes.

Sheik was faster and more agile but Link possessed more strength. Sheik still continued striking him endlessly but Link noticed that his movements had become slower. He was starting to become tired. If his arm could endure the pain a little longer, he could win this fight without having to kill his opponent. Link focused on every move, raised his shield when needed and accepted the hard blows. Sheik's foot landed on the ground again but Link had noticed the small stumble. With a swift move he thrust the handle of his sword into Sheik's stomach and saw him writhe in pain.

"Enough!" Ganondorf's voice resounded in the air and he walked over to the combatants, giving Sheik a final blow. His body collapsed unconsciously on the floor.

"We should end this now," he said and stared into Link's eyes, who had turned a dark shade of blue, filled with hatred. He removed his black cloak and let it drop to the ground. "The moment we have been waiting for all these times has come." A ring of fire suddenly appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the dark lord and the hero, cutting them off from the princess and the Sheikah. Even though Ganondorf was an inveterate enemy and much stronger than any other opponent he had beaten, he felt relieved that he didn't have to fight against Sheik anymore. His body was a little tired and his right arm hurt from receiving the hard blows against his shield all the time but a new energy suddenly streamed through his body. If he lost this fight, Hyrule would face its end. The hope of the people rested on his shoulders and he would have to bring this to an end.


	28. Chapter 28 The final battle

**Chapter 28 The final battle**

The fight against Ganondorf was consuming every rest of Link's energy and at some point he had lost every sense of time. His right arm was completely numb and useless and only his left arm continued holding the master sword. He neither heard Zelda's voice nor did he see anything else than his enemy. The fire still hadn't died down and more than once he almost burned himself. On the contrary the dark lord showed no sign of fatigue; he seemed unweary and indestructible.

A sudden ray of bundled energy shot through the fire and hit Ganondorf. For a moment, time seemed to be standing still until Zelda's voice broke through the barrier. "I will try to paralyse him with my power but I'm not sure how long I can keep it up. Destroy him, Link!"

Link grabbed his sword tighter and collected his last strength. He thrust the blade into Ganondorf's chest but the energy, that had made his enemy unable to move, threw him back violently. His back hit the ground and he gasped for air. Behind him he heard Zelda cry out in pain as the ray of energy struck her back. The fire died down and for a minute there was nothing but silence. Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet. The wound on his chest was bleeding but he did not seem to care. "You fools!" he shouted. The fragment of the Triforce was glowing on the back of his hand as he raised it into the sky. Link felt the same prickling in his hand. The three fragments of the sacred relic were about to be joined again. Link felt his strength leave his body as the fragment was removed from his hand. He could see the princess wince in pain as the same was happening to her. It was over. Ganondorf had won.

The sky was glowing in an unnatural dazzling light as the three fragments were joined again. Link lifted his hand to cover his eyes. Ganondorf held the relic in his hand and started laughing madly. "The world is mine! Die, you pitiful rats!" He turned around to face Zelda and Sheik, whose unconscious form was still lying on the ground and he swayed his sword. However, before he could reach the princess, the glowing in his hand became so strong that it turned the whole area into pure white light, blinding every single one of them. Link closed his eyes firmly but the light pierced his eyelids and burned itself onto his mind. In the blinding chaos he heard Ganondorf suddenly scream. His hand was burning and he had dropped the Triforce out of pain. Navi shot in the air behind Link. "The Triforce is consuming him!" Link lifted his head to see the scene before his eyes. Ganondorf's left hand had been scorched down to the bones, leaving a few trails of burned meat. He was still screaming but soon started laughing hysterically. Madness had struck him as he tried to gain control over the enormous power of the sacred relic. Zelda quickly got up from the ground again and ran over to where Link was still lying. "He is mad! Link, we must get away!" She tugged at his sleeve and he nodded. He collected his shield and sword and moved over to Sheik's side. Whatever had happened, he couldn't leave him dying here. With little strength left he managed to get him on his back and started running. The platform was shaking as Ganondorf, who still struggled to regain control over himself, started to transform into something that was no longer human. Small rocks rained down when his huge claw hit the ground. "The castle is going to collapse soon. Hurry!" Navi shouted. They ran down the stairs that led out of the castle and Link was constantly trying to keep his balance. The way down in the collapsing building was a hard one and with the extra weight on his back he stumbled more than once. Eventually the end of the staircase and the entry to the castle came into sight and, regaining new hope and strength, the four of them managed to reach safe ground before the castle gave in completely. The black outer walls crashed down and buried the beast that Ganondorf had turned into underneath them. Clouds of dust emerged from the ruins and before long disappeared into the black sky. A sudden silence settled and only the heavy breathing of Link and his companions filled the air. "It is over," Zelda whispered.


	29. Chapter 29 New Beginnings

**Chapter 29 New beginnings**

Link manhandled the last box and put it down next to the other ones. Malon nodded satisfied and smiled at him. "This was the last one. Good job."

The pasture of the Lon Lon Ranch had been decorated with boxes, tables and chairs and a few braziers. The Gorons had helped carrying the heavy furniture along with Link, while the women had taken charge of the party decoration.

A week had passed since the dark lord had fallen and slowly peace was returning to the land. To celebrate the defeat of Ganondorf and the newly gained freedom, Zelda and Malon had planned a party for every inhabitant of Hyrule and they had been busy all day long to organize the event. Malon's father took care of the wine while everyone else contributed food or anything else that was needed.

Link flopped down on one of the boxes and sighed. He should be happy, but he wasn't. No longer did he have to carry the burden of the Triforce and of his quest. He was finally free. However, something was missing. The Sheikah had disappeared as soon as he had recovered and Link had not been able to talk to him again. He had questions and doubts and the belief that Sheik had betrayed him was tormenting his mind. He felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up, he met Zelda's face. "You should stop worrying so much, Link."

"Yes, you're right." He got up and faked a smile. "Let's finish the preparations for tonight."

The party was a big success. Link had marvelled at how many guests from all over Hyrule had arrived. He had spotted Nabooru, Aveil and a few women from the Gerudo tribe, Darunia, his son and his Goron brothers, Saria, Mido and his old Kokiri friends, Ruto and her father King Zora, every resident of Kakariko Village, Impa and of course Malon, Talon, Ingo, Zelda and Navi. And although Link knew Sheik wasn't coming, he caught himself looking around for the mysterious shadow. He really was not in the mood for celebrating anything but still tried not to show it. He faked smiles every now and then, chatted with his old friends, laughed at Ruto and Aveil fighting over him, accepted a dance with Zelda, drank out the glass of wine Talon offered him and joked around with Darunia. He thought about how Sheik had disappeared onto the roof of a house at the marriage and for once he wanted to do the same. He hastily excused himself and made his way through the masses of the people.

"Where are you going?"

The question made him stop. Saria joined his side and looked at him.

"Saria.."

She smiled at him. "I have heard him play the harp in the sacred meadow many times," she said as if she had read his mind. He returned her gaze.

"Thank you, Saria."

Epona whinnied softly when she saw her master approaching. Link patted her neck and snaffled his horse before leading her out of the stable. No one except Saria had noticed that he was gone and he climbed onto Epona's back.

They galloped over the field and even though it was night and dark outside, Epona seemed to find the way without any guidance. The Kokiri village was quiet when Link stepped inside and he breathed in the fresh air. He made his way to the lost woods and his fingers touched the smooth surface of the small ocarina Saria once gave to him as if to make sure it would secure him and help him find the way. He took a breath and concentrated on the sound of the wind. It would be his guidance.

He eventually reached the clearing without getting lost and as he stood at the end of the stairs, he could hear the sound of a harp. Saria had been right. He closed his eyes for a second and allowed the music to float around him. The wind softly tickled his skin while he simply stood there and listened. And suddenly, for the first time after Ganondorf fell and the Triforce shattered into thousands of glowing pieces, Link realised that it was finally over. The goddesses had decided to destroy what they once left behind. Never again could it fall into the hands of someone who would turn these lands into a dreary place full of dangers. Link opened his eyes again and looked at his hand. The symbol of the fragment of courage had disappeared without a single trace.

Link had returned the master sword to the temple of time and even though he felt that he would miss carrying it, it gave him at the same time the security that from now on he could start living a normal life. The door to the pedestal of time was now closed forever, the spiritual stones returned to their tribes. Craftsmen and other voluntaries were already working on re-establishing the castle and the market place. It would be a lively place again, Link was sure about that. He smiled as he finally started climbing the stairs and approached the sacred meadow. The music suddenly stopped as Sheik lifted his head to stare into Link's direction. The wind played with his hair that was no longer hidden under the layers of white cloth and a smile appeared on his bare face.

At last, they were finally free.


End file.
